Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venakaih Naidu on Tuesday justified longer adjournments in case of disruptions to "protect the image" of the upper house as well as to inculcate a sense of "collective responsibility" and realization among the members that it is they who are going to lose through disruptions and adjournments.
"Another aspect is that on many occasions, the house gets adjourned several times between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. In this area of TV explosion, such frequent adjournments are adversely impacting the image and credibility of this House. And that is where I am concerned.
"I thought it would be better to adjourn the House for a longer period instead of resorting to frequent adjournments, that too, when it becomes evident that some sections of the House were bent on not allowing smooth conduct of the House.
"When I know the House is not going to be allowed to function and members are going to create scenes, I thought it is in it is in the interest of the House that such unruly scenes are not witnessed by the public. That is my concern," he said.
Earlier in the day, a combined opposition consisting of members from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK, the CPI-M, CPI and Aam Aadmi Party alleged that their voices were being muzzled inside Parliament after Naidu adjourned the House till 2 p.m., minutes after it met for the day amidst demands by some opposition members to be allowed to raise certain issues.
Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien had given a notice under Rule 267 to discuss the alleged overreach of West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi, who, he said, was trying to bypass the state government in administrative matters.
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Naidu rejected the notice and when O'Brien persisted with the matter during the Zero Hour, Naidu adjourned the House till 2 p.m., skipping even the Question Hour that is held from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
When the house reconvened at 2 p.m., the opposition then announced it was boycotting the House for the day and staged a walk out. Outside, they alleged that they were being denied their rightful opportunity to raise important issues inside the House and the House was allegedly not being run according to "rules, regulations, procedures and traditions" but as per "whims".
A similar adjournment was done on Monday as well. Normally, the House is adjourned for a few minutes or half an hour in case of disruptions and in the meanwhile, the Chair calls members from both the government and the opposition and try to mediate a settlement to ensure smooth functioning of the House afterwards.
However, Naidu made a digression from this set practice and would straightaway adjourn the House for two hours.
In the evening, Naidu put his side of the story in the House.
"I realise some members have perhaps not properly understood my concern and anguish over the function of this House. I would like to reiterate that it would be my commitment to allow any issue to be raised by any member as per the rules. I have a weakness and a commitment to the rules, to the procedures to the dignity of the House, and I am and I am keen that I should stick to it. Nobody should have any misgivings about it," he said.
Naidu said that state assemblies, municipalities, Zilla Parishads and the local bodies etc look up to Parliament and acewe should not allow the image to go down".
"The idea is to protect the image and statue of Parliament. So my intention in adjourning the house for longer period is that I want everybody to understand the seriousness and the concern of mine. I had told the floor leaders of the House that if proceedings are disrupted at the start, I would have no option but to adjourn the house till lunch.
"I made very clear. My intention in doing so is to promote a sense of collective responsibility in minimising or doing away with such forced frequent disruptions," he said.
--IANS
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