NEW DELHI: Nine months still remaining in her tenure, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday resigned her Rajya Sabha membership, alleging she was not being allowed to raise Dalit issues in the House. Earlier, the first working day of the Monsoon session was marked by pandemonium with the 18-party-strong opposition disrupting proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, while seeking to raise alleged atrocities against Dalits in different parts of the country.
Opposition members, demanding discussion on various issues, stormed into the well of the House soon after it convened. Amidst the ruckus, Mayawati threatened to resign from the House if she was not allowed to speak on Dalit issues. After deputy chairman P J Kurien allowed Mayawati to speak for three minutes, she raised the issue of Dalit atrocities in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Kurien, however, reminded her that her time was over, upon which Mayawati turned furious, saying there was no point in being the member of the House if she was not allowed to speak.
In the evening, Mayawati sent a detailed resignation letter, which ran into two pages. However, sources in the Rajya Sabha secretariat said the resignation letter was against the norms. “Going by precedence, resignation has to be a one liner and there should not be any reason mentioned as given by Mayawati. In all likelihood, her resignation letter will not be accepted,” said an official.
According to Rule 213, Resignation of seats in Council, “If the Chairman, after making a summary enquiry either himself or through the agency of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat or through such other agency as he may deem fit, is satisfied that the resignation is not voluntary or genuine, he shall not accept the resignation.”
The Lok Sabha too witnessed rucks and disruptions.