BJP's Raghav Chadha to head Rajya Sabha Committee on Petitions

BJP MP Raghav Chadha is the new Chairman of the Rajya Sabha's Committee on Petitions. The appointment follows the reconstitution of the committee and Chadha's recent switch from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP along with six other MPs.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has been appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha.

Upon reconstitution of the committee, Harsh Mahajan, Gulam Ali, Shambhu Sharan Patel, Mayankkumar Nayak, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha, Jebi Mather Hisham, Subhasish Khuntia, Rwngwra Narzary, and Sandosh Kumar P were appointed as its members.

About the Committee

The committee was reconstituted with effect from May 20. According to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Committee on Petitions is one of the oldest committees of Parliament and dates back to the Legislative Assembly of the colonial period. It originated from a resolution moved by a member in the then Council of State on September 15, 1921.

Till 1964, petitions could be presented to the Rajya Sabha only with regard to the Bills and the matters connected with the business pending before the Upper House of Parliament.

After 1964, when the Rules of Procedure of the Rajya Sabha were revised, the scope of the Committee was enlarged. As per the revised Rules, petitions could also be presented on any matter of general public interest.

However, matters within the cognisance of a court of law, or which are not primarily the concern of the Indian government, which can be raised on a substantive motion or resolution, or for which remedy is available under the law, are outside the purview of the committee.

Appointment Follows Party Switch to BJP

Meanwhile, the committee chairmanship came after Chadha had recently switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with six other Rajya Sabha MPs.

With this, the BJP's tally of Rajya Sabha MPs stands at 113, while AAP was reduced to just three members in the House.

Along with Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal had also switched to the BJP.

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