Harsh decisions needed at times to enforce discipline, decorum, says VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Hours after AAP MP Sanjay Singh was suspended from Rajya Sabha on Monday, its Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said a recourse to "unpalatable situations" is needed at times to enforce decorum and discipline. "As chairman of Rajya Sabha I am working in a manner, using everything under my command to ensure the temple of democracy in the largest democracy, we have decorum, we have discipline," he said.

Addressing Indian Forest Service probationers here, Dhankhar said, "To enforce decorum and discipline, sometime we have to take recourse to unpalatable situations. But we must never hesitate because decorum and discipline are connected with our growth, reputation and prosperity".

Earlier in the day, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was suspended from Rajya Sabha for the rest of the Monsoon session for repeatedly "violating" the directives of the Chair while protesting on the Manipur issue. Opposition parties condemned the action against Singh and accused the government of trying to throttle their voice.