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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, ever since it has come to power in 2014, has been bothered by the Rajya Sabha. This might be in large part due to the party not commanding a majority in this House, and also being averse to the concept of any checks and balances.

Comments to insult eminent leaders who held membership of this House, such as former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh were par for the course. This despite Narendra Modi’s closest ally, Amit Shah having first entered parliament via Rajya Sabha.

The first legislative defeat of the BJP in the past 12 years, also came through the Rajya Sabha, in as early as on March 3, 2015, when an amendment moved on the vote of thanks to President of India’s address moved by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) MP, Sitaram Yechury and his colleague P Rajeeve, gathered enough votes and the amendment was passed. It embarrassed the Modi government, as it was over corruption and black money and the government did not succeed in being able to prevent the opposition to insist on a division. This was only the fourth time in parliamentary history for this to have happened and the BJP’s........

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