New Delhi: The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday condemned the unruly incidents that took place in the Upper House on Sunday and said it was a bad day for the 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”.
He said his remarks during the proceedings of the house that all social distancing and Covid-related precautions were violated by some of the members on Sunday. “If we do not follow COVID guidelines, how do you expect common people to follow?” he asked.
He said that some members came to the well and hurled papers and rule book at the Deputy Chairman and abused him. He said some members were “climbing on the Secretary Generals’s table, dancing, shouting in the well, tearing papers, breaking the mikes, obstructing Deputy Chairman from his duties, throwing papers, rule book at the Deputy Chairman. “Are these parliamentary standards?”, he asked and told the members to do some introspection.
The Chairman said 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.
Naidu 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.
The chairman rejected 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 proper format,” he added.
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”.
The Chairman said that he had gone through the entire proceedings of the House held on Sunday in the light of the allegations made against the Deputy Chairman. He said the Deputy Chairman had persistently requested the members to go their seats and participate in the debate and move amendments.
Naidu said “obviously, in view of the continuous disruptions in the House, the division could not have taken place. Certainly, the conduct of some members grossly crossed all barriers of all parliamentary decorum and etiquette and thereby lowered the prestige of the House”.
