'Shocked Beyond Words': Vice President Dhankar Slams Chidambaram Over 'Part-timer' Remark On New Criminal Laws

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar on Saturday lashed out at Congress leader P Chidambaram over his comment that the three new criminal laws were “drafted by part-timers”, terming it as “inexcusable” and urging him to withdraw his “derogatory, defamatory and insulting” observation.

Dhankar said he was “shocked beyond words” when in the morning he read Chidambaram’s interview to a leading national daily wherein he had said that “the new laws were drafted by part-timers”.

“Are we part-timers in the Parliament? It is an inexcusable insult to the wisdom of the Parliament… I do not have words strong enough to condemn such a narrative being set afloat and an MP being labelled as a part-timer.

“I appeal to him (Chidambaram) from this platform, please withdraw these derogatory, defamatory and highly insulting observations about the Members of Parliament (MPs). I hope he does it,” the Vice President said while addressing the 12th convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) here.

Dhankar further said that “when informed minds knowingly lead you astray, we need to be on guard”.

“This morning, when I read a paper, an informed mind, who had been the Finance Minister of this country, a Parliamentarian for a long and currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, stunned me,” the VP said.

Dhankar said that he took pride in the fact that the Parliament did “a great thing” by “unshackling us from the colonial legacy” and giving three laws that were of “epochal dimension”.

The VP, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that every MP had the opportunity to contribute when the three laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Saksha Adhiniyam — were being debated in the House.

“With a heavy heart, I am sharing with you, that this honourable gentleman, a distinguished member of Parliament who has a great background as finance minister, did not use his lung power. He gave total rest to his vocal chords while debate was going on,” he said.

Dhankar said that Chidambaram must hold himself accountable for the “failure of duty on your part, an act of omission/commission, dereliction of duty, which can never be explained”.