New Delhi (NVI): The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu today condemned the unruly happenings that took place in the Upper House yesterday and said it was a bad day for Rajya Sabha.
Expressing his anguish, the Chairman said, “It pained me a lot because what happened yesterday in the house is unfortunate, unacceptable and condemnable”.
Furthermore, he passed a motion of suspension against eight opposition MPs over their “unruly behaviour”.
Chairman announced the suspension of eight opposition MPs for a week namely Derek O Brien, Sanjay Singh, Raju Satav, KK Ragesh, Ripun Bora, Dola Sen, Syed Nazir Hussain and Elamaran Karim.
Yesterday, amid the course of the passage of farm bills in the Rajya Sabha, the Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien attempted to tear the rule book and snatch off Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan’s microphone.
He rushed to the well of the House amid the proceedings to register his protest against the bill.
The Chairman noted that the Deputy Chairman was physically threatened and said, “If marshals had not been called on time what would have happened to the Deputy Chairman. I am worried”. He said the Deputy Chairman had stated that he was abused with objectionable words. He would have been harmed also, the Chairman added.
He said that some Members came to the well and hurled papers, rule book at the Deputy Chairman and abused him.
He also stated that the Members were climbing on the Secretary Generals’ table, dancing, shouting in the well, tearing papers, breaking the mikes, obstructing Deputy Chairman from his duties, throwing papers, Rule Book on Deputy Chairman. Is it parliamentary standard, he asked and told the Members to sit and do some introspection.
Naidu further said that all social distancing and COVID-19-related precautions were violated by some of the members yesterday.
In addition to this, he told the Members that they could have discussed and debated if they had numbers. He said the Deputy Chairman had stated that if the members had remained in their seats, voting would have been carried out. He said they could have also voted against the Bill had the House been in order.
M Venkaiah Naidu also said that he had received a letter from the Leader of Opposition and 46 other members of Rajya Sabha expressing no confidence in the Deputy Chairman and desiring to move a motion for his removal.
After carefully going through the provisions of the Constitution, Rules of Rajya Sabha and past precedents, the Chairman said the motion given by the Leader of opposition and others was not in a proper format.
He pointed out that further, as per the provisions of Article 90 (c) of the Constitution, a notice period of 14 days was required for moving a resolution and not a motion. “As the House is going to be adjourned sine die on 1st October, 2020, the notice does not complete the required period of 14 days, hence, I rule that the motion given by LoP and other members is not admissible”.
-CHK
