No smothering of voice of Opposition: RS chairman Naidu

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 29

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday asserted there is no ‘smothering of the voice of Opposition in the House’ and the ‘Council of States is not a party to hurried legislation’.

Responding to four concerns raised by Opposition members through a letter to him last week, the Chairman responded to each with empirical evidence while assuring the House the will never allow any effort to undermine the rights and privileges of the Members of Rajya Sabha.

On the issue of concern over inadequate Short Duration Discussions during the present Session as against the convention of one such discussion per week, Naidu asserted that this charge did not stand scrutiny.

Between 1978 and 2013, he said, on 16 of those 36 years, the House took up such discussions ranging from one to five per year and from six to eight per year for another 14 years, for an average of less than three Short Duration Discussions per Session during those 30 years. As against this, two such discussions have already been held in the current Session and one more could have been possible if the House was not disrupted for two-and-a-half days.

Stating that three Calling Attention Notices were already taken up and more Short Duration Discussions could be taken up during the remainder of the Session, Chairman Naidu said: “This empirical evidence goes to prove that the complaint of smothering the voice of Opposition also does not stand scrutiny.”

Regarding scrutiny of Bills either by Department Related Standing Committees or Select Committees, he informed the House that during the last two years of his Chairmanship, 10 Bills were first introduced in the Upper House till the last Session and though not mandatory, he referred eight of them to respective Standing Committees. Of the remaining two, one relating to inclusion of some more social groups in the category of Scheduled Tribes was passed by the without discussion while the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill was referred to a Select Committee ever after it was scrutinised by the Standing Committee.

Chairman Naidu noted: “I hope that all of you would agree that such a record would not justify the allegation if it is so intended that Rajya Sabha is a party to hurried legislation.”

On another concern of opposition on declining trend of referring Bills to Parliamentary Committees iintroduced in the last and present Lok Sabha, Chairman Naidu noted this does not come in his domain as also the concern voiced over 30 long sittings of Lok Sabha during the present Session, the first since General Elections this year.

Naidu, however, noted: “I fail to understand how the complainants can describe such longer Sessions and passing a good number of Bills during that period as a dubious record since Parliament’s core functions include Legislation for socio-economic transformation of the country.”

The Chairman observed that timing and duration of Sessions of Parliament is the prerogative of the government of the day and Presiding Officers of both the Houses of Parliament do not have any say in this regard.

Naidu said making legislative proposals is the prerogative of the government while it is the right and responsibility of the Opposition to ensure effective scrutiny of such proposals and these two functions should be ensured in a harmonised manner.

Referring to another concern of Opposition that not enough time being given for amendments to the Human Rights (Amendment) Bill passed by the House, the Chairman said the Bill was listed for consideration three days after it was laid on the table of Rajya Sabha. In addition, he allowed the Opposition to move amendments till mid day on July 22, when the Bill was taken up for consideration and passing. Such waivers, he said, are accorded as per the Rules of the House and very sparingly and refuted violation of Rules in this regard.

Noting that it cannot be anybody’s case that every Bill should be referred to Parliamentary Committees for scrutiny, Naidu said such scrutiny is required if complex issues were involved in legislative proposals. He suggested codification of guidelines in the matter of such detailed scrutiny of Bills by a Committee for future reference and clarity.

Urging the members to appreciate the concern and anguish with which he was responding to the issues raised by the Opposition MPs, Naidu assured as Chairman of the House that he would not allow any effort to undermine the rights and privileges of Rajya Sabha MPs.

Referring to the functioning of Rajya Sabha during 2014-19, Naidu noted that the House lost valuable time of 40 per cent due to disruptions and there is no provision in the Rules of the House to resort to such disruptions and rushing into the well of the House and such acts undermine the rights and privileges of MPs .