Naidu exhorts Govt, Oppn to resolve issues through talks, says

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the government and the Opposition should sit together and resolve various issues for peaceful conduct of the House as he adjourned the proceedings amidst sloganeering by Opposition members over the Delhi violence.

Naidu termed the turn of events in both the Houses "unfortunate" before adjourning the Upper House of Parliament for the day barely 15 minutes after it assembled at 11 AM.

The House will reassemble on March 11 after Holi.

As soon as Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur rose to lay a paper pertaining to his ministry, members of the Opposition parties, including the Congress, rose on their feet and started raising slogans over the Delhi riots.

 

Naidu urged the Opposition members to allow the proceedings of the House, but to no avail.

Soon, members of the Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, AAP, SP and the Left parties trooped into the well and continued their protest.

"What happened in this House or what is happening in the other House also is a matter of concern. I can only appeal to all, including the government and the Opposition, please discuss among yourselves and come to some sort of a meaningful solution to see that the House functions very effectively because the country is watching what is happening in Parliament that too in the Budget Session," Naidu said.

He also urged the members to allow running of the House given pending important legislations and said, "I only appeal to all of you please take care of the same."

However, as the protests continued, he adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier, as soon as the House met for the day, Naidu pitched for greater representation of women in Parliament and state legislatures.

Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, he lamented that gender equality and women safety remained elusive despite women achieving remarkable feat, and advocated for a change in mindset of the society, supplemented by educational and employment avenues for women.

"Women should be provided with enough opportunities to serve as legislators in the state legislatures and Parliament. They also need to be included and consulted in every fora for policy formulation and implementation," Naidu said.

He emphasised that the founding fathers had enshrined in the Constitution the ideals of gender equality and women empowerment as fundamental to achieving equal rights and dignity for all.

"Today, despite women registering remarkable progress on all fronts, gender equality and women safety still remain elusive. Crime against women are on the rise, the panacea for which lies not only in increasing the quality of policing and tweaking the criminal justice system but also challenging the deep-seated mindset prevalent in our society," he said.

Naidu also made an observation that the media should have highlighted the statement on coronavirus by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in the House on Thursday as it was an issue of public concern, but "unfortunately a section of media did not focus on it".