Those responsible for protecting MPs failed in their constitutional duties: Kharge

In an apparent attack on the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman over the suspension of Opposition members from the two Houses of Parliament, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (December 21) said those responsible for protecting MPs have failed in their constitutional duties.

Addressing party leaders at a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge also said his party has learnt valuable lessons from the recent assembly polls and urged party workers to focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections now.

In his opening remarks at the CWC meet, Kharge took a scarcely veiled jibe at Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Kharge told CWC members that the biggest challenge before Opposition MPs today is that people holding constitutional posts with the responsibility to protect MPs in the House are using their caste, profession and the region they hail from as a shield for indulging in partisan politics. “They have completely failed in fulfilling their constitutional duties and the whole country is watching this...there is a conspiracy to convert Parliament into a platform for the government,” he said.

This is the first meeting of the Congress’ highest decision-making body after the party’s poor showing in the assembly polls.

Noting that the outcomes of the elections in five states, barring Telangana, were “disappointing”, Kharge said the Congress has conducted a preliminary analysis of the results and identified the reasons behind its performance.

“Despite the results, there are some positive indicators, such as the vote share in these states, which give us a definite hope that given due attention, we can certainly turn things around. We have learnt valuable lessons from the mistakes we have made and are committed to not repeating them,” he told the CWC.

(With agency inputs)