TRS, BJD, SP express support to Naidu

Against the backdrop of a section of the Opposition’s plan to complain about the Chair for not giving it adequate time to take up their issues in the House, three parties have come out in support of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. The TRS, BJD and the SP have expressed their “confidence and full faith” in Naidu even as some other non-NDA parties have personally lauded him for managing the House well.

TRS Rajya Sabha MP D Srinivas separately wrote a letter to the Chairman, stating that he was “surprised and taken aback at the wild allegation levelled against him”. “It is very unfortunate that some Opposition members are indulging in this kind of falsehood accusing Hon’ble Chairman of being unfair and biased. It is highly unacceptable to us to accuse you of favouring any particular section of the House,” he stated.

For his part, Naidu, who inaugurated a two-day “Orientation Programme” for the new members of the Rajya Sabha, asked them “to leave politics outside” and focus on people's welfare inside the House. He spoke to them on different aspects of the functioning of Parliament for about an hour.

He made a passionate appeal to all MPs to ensure smooth functioning of the Rajya Sabha and Parliament by making good use of opportunities and improving the quality of debates. “I firmly believe in discipline and upholding rules. I do get emotional if rules are violated and the House is disrupted,” he said.

“Mobocracy should not be allowed to derail deliberative parliamentary democracy. A group of MPs rushing into the well of the House and disrupting the proceedings subverts democracy. We need to respect each other irrespective of being in majority or minority. We need to respect the people’s mandate,” he told the Members.

Naidu complimented Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri for attending the ‘Orientation Programme’ despite having piloted quite a few bills and answering several questions in both the Houses of Parliament over the last one year.

Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien, one of the country’s most famous quiz masters, explained the role and functioning of the committees of Parliament and their strengths to the delight of all.  Leaving the podium, he took a cordless mike and conducted a quiz from amidst the MPs. He gave the first word of the acronym ‘STRENGTHS’ and asked the newly elected MPs to indicate which function of the Standing Committees that letter suggested.

He offered chocolates to those who gave correct answers and his quiz show enlivened the interaction and got a huge applause.

Rajya Sabha secretary general Desh Deepak Verma gave an overview of the Secretariat, including the support services being extended to members of the House. Over 40 MPs attended the first day of the “Orientation Programme”.