New Delhi: Amid uproar in the Rajya Sabha for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urged the agitating members to talk to the Treasury Bench to break the impasse. However, he rejected the demand to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs and said, “The rejection of undemocratic conduct in the House cannot be termed as undemocratic.”
Naidu’s statement came after the opposition on Monday described the suspension of 12 MPs as “undemocratic and in violation of the rules” of the House. The Chairman also reiterated that he had followed all the rules before taking action against the MPs concerned for their “unruly conduct”. He showed no remorse even after the suspension, Naidu lamented that the House had seen 11 suspensions in the past, the first time in 1962.
Even when he made these remarks, the opposition members continued to raise slogans and entered the well of the House. Naidu appealed to them to let the House go on smoothly, but the agitated members did not listen. In the pre-lunch session, he adjourned the House for about 50 minutes. The opposition later staged a walkout during the Question Hour.
He said that some leaders and Rajya Sabha members in their discretion termed the suspension of 12 members as undemocratic.
“I’ve struggled to understand whether there was any justification in promoting that kind of narrative, but couldn’t.” This was not the first time such a suspension had happened. From 1962 to 2010, members were suspended on 11 occasions for pushing resolutions moved by the then governments. “Were they all undemocratic? If so, why is it resorted to so often?” Naidu asked.
Responding to the opposition’s charge of his action being undemocratic, Naidu said, “Not a word is being said about the reasons for the suspension, the contemptuous conduct of some members during the last session, which I have clearly stated.” ‘Acts of profanity.’ The last day of the last session,” he said.
As opposition members, including the Congress, continued to protest, Naidu said that the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Rajya Sabha (Rajya Sabha) clearly spelled out suspension of members for misconduct, obstructing the proceedings of the House and belittling its dignity. make provisions. , under rules 255 and 256.
He said the reasons for the latest suspension were public and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi gave reasons while moving the motion for suspension on the first day of this session.
“Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to send a message that sacrilege of the House is democratic but action against such sacrilege is undemocratic. I am sure the people of the country will not buy these new norms of democracy,” Naidu said. “
He also pointed out that there had been suspensions in the past and some of them were revoked prematurely as errant members expressed regret over their acts of misconduct in the House.
“I am deeply saddened by the media reports of a categorical refusal to express any regret for the acts of misconduct during the last session, which has led to this round of suspensions. What is the way forward then?
“You do not want to regret your misconduct, but insist on setting aside the decision of this House as per the procedure laid down under the Rules of the House. Is this tantamount to upholding the principles of democracy?” Naidu said. “To make a mistake is human and to amend is also human. One cannot refuse to make amends and insist on insisting on wrongdoings.
“Suspension, either in the past or now, is an expression of the disapproval of the acts of misconduct of certain members by the House.
The rejection of undemocratic conduct in the House certainly cannot be termed as undemocratic.”
Naidu urged both the Treasury and the opposition benches to resolve the impasse. He said, “I request both the sides of this august House to kindly talk on this and then find a way to do the essential work of this House. This is my appeal to the entire House.”
However, opposition from opposition parties continued and Congress MPs insisted on allowing Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak. Naidu did not agree, saying that Kharge had already spoken on the matter.
