The BJP on Thursday announced that it would bring a motion to censure the Opposition for publicly criticising Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

A Trinamool Congress MP submitted a privilege notice against parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju for saying the Opposition was “not worthy” of being members of the Upper House.

Nearly 60 Opposition MPs are said to have signed the privilege notice submitted by Trinamool member Sagarika Ghosh.

“The minister of parliamentary affairs, instead of doing his duty to run the House, is insulting the Opposition. Yesterday in the House, addressing the Opposition, he said, ‘You are all not worthy of being in this House’. Mr Rijiju has insulted the Opposition members and used personal terms against MPs both inside and outside Parliament. This is totally unbecoming and unacceptable,” Ghosh told reporters outside the House, adding that she has submitted a privilege notice against Rijiju for “abusing his office with his diatribes and unparliamentary language”.

Rijiju had made the remarks while intervening during a disruption in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and in the context of the Opposition submitting a notice for the removal of Dhankhar.

On Thursday, BJP president and leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J.P. Nadda said his party would bring a motion to condemn the Opposition’s public criticism of the Chairman.

“The Chair cannot be questioned with regard to admissibility (of any motion). The Chair’s ruling cannot be questioned or criticised. To do so is a contempt of the House and the Chairman,” Nadda said. He referred to the media conference by 11 INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday against the conduct of the Chairman and their notice for his removal.

“I am sorry to state that yesterday Khargeji, who is a senior member, criticised the Chairman. This is objectionable and condemnable. This sets a wrong precedent. He alleged that the Opposition parties were not getting opportunities to speak in the House. Many times, he has been called by the Chairman to his chamber. Letters have been written by the Chairman to the LoP. The LoP has not responded. He did not attend the business advisory committee meeting. It shows your interest in democratic practices,” Nadda said.

He also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shooting a video of Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Dhankhar outside Parliament. “From your official handle of the INC (Indian National Congress), the Chairman has been called a cheerleader. This is an attempt to denigrate the position of the Chairman,” Nadda said.

Outside the House, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari told reporters that his party had no objection if the BJP brought a motion to condemn the Opposition on the Dhankhar issue. But there should be a thorough discussion. Another Opposition leader said the issue was not about an individual but parliamentary democracy.

In the House, Kharge tried to counter what was being said about the Opposition but was cut short amid disruptions with two successive adjournments.

In a post on X, Kharge again criticised the Chairman, maintaining that his conduct had raised serious concerns about his impartiality, with frequent “criticisms of the Opposition and an abuse of the powers vested in the Chair”.

“The Chairman has consistently suppressed the freedom of expression of Opposition members through persistent heckling, unwarranted insistence on authentication, unfair remarks and the refusal to list issues of public importance for discussion,” Kharge wrote.

“On various occasions, he has equated the Prime Minister with Mahatma Gandhi, held it wrong to seek the accountability of the Prime Minister by the Opposition. He has commented even on walkouts by the Opposition, even though it is a well-honoured parliamentary tool,” Kharge wrote.