Eight opposition members of the Rajya Sabha, who were suspended on Monday over the chaos in the House when the two contentious farm bills were passed on Sunday, spent the night outside Parliament as to continue with their protest. On Tuesday morning, they were offered tea by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh.
Harivansh met Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh, Congress leaders Rajeev Satav, Ripun Bora and Syed Nasir Hussain, KK Ragesh and Elamaram Karim of the CPI(M). He was seen sitting on the ground and having tea with the MPs on the lawns near the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, is blessed with a humble mind and a big heart.
To personally serve tea to those who attacked and insulted him a few days ago as well as those sitting on Dharna shows that Shri Harivansh Ji has been blessed with a humble mind and a big heart. It shows his greatness. I join the people of India in congratulating Harivansh Ji.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2020
Here’s all about Harivansh Narayan Singh:
The deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh is an Indian journalist and politician who represents Bihar in the upper house of the parliament.
Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Balia in 1956, Singh has spent over four decades as a Hindi journalist, working across Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal.
He started his journalism career with Dharamyug, a weekly published by Times of India Group. He worked there for four years, starting in 1977. Later, he joined Ravivar, a Hindi weekly published by ABP Group in 1985 as an Assistant Editor and worked there till 1989.
He also served as an additional media advisor to former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.
Singh Harivansh served as Chief Editor of Prabhat Khabar, a Hindi daily from Ranchi twice, starting from 1989 – June 1990 and then from June 1991 to June 2016. The newspaper was known for investigating many high-profile stories, including the Fooder Scam unmasking RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The Janta Dal (United) nominated Singh to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar for a six-year term in 2014. On 8 August 2018, he was elected as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha for a six-year term as the candidate of the National Democratic Alliance, winning the election by a vote of 125 to 105 against the opposition candidate.
He is the third person ever and first in forty years to hold this post who is not from the Indian National Congress. He was re-elected as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha on September 14, 2020, after he returned to the Rajya Sabha for his second term from Bihar.
After he became an MP and had to adopt a village, he ensured that he picks one that has no political significance and where not even his distant relatives lived. He eventually chose Bahuaara village in Rohtas.
Currently, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh has declared a one-day fast till tomorrow, expressing anguish over opposition attacks in parliament during the vote on the government’s farm bills.
The group of 8 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs have ended their dharna on the lawns of Parliament after an Opposition walkout, and a rejected offer of tea and snacks. The group of MPs belonging to different parties camped on the lawns overnight and slept on sheets and pillows spread on the grass.
