RS adjourned till Monday, Chairman Naidu urges members to arrive at consensus over suspension issue

New Delhi : Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Friday adjourned the House till Monday after appealing to members to arrive at a consensus over the issue of revocation of suspension of 12 Opposition members, that has stalled proceedings over the past week.

“Please arrive at a consensus to see that the House is able to function properly,” Chairman Naidu appealed, as he adjourned the House till Monday, to give members on both sides time to consult over the issue.

Earlier, while ministers and other members were laying the reports of committees on the table of the House, the Chairman ticked off members for being absent without prior permission and getting a colleague to lay the papers.

“Members should not be absent in House after giving notice of papers,” he chided.

The Chairman said there can be extreme circumstances under which members are forced to take leave but they have to take the prior permission of the Chair.

“Thy must approach the Chair in advance for permission,” he said, and added “It cannot be casual, it cannot be usual.”

He asked the Leader of the House to take note of the aspect of members absenting themselves without prior notice.

His remarks came in the wake of several members against whose name papers were marked for laying on the table, got a colleague to do it instead.

Harnath Singh Yadav of the BJP who was presenting a paper, including one against the name of his party colleague KC Ramamurthy, was ticked off by the Chairman who said it had not been listed.

Jairam Ramesh of the Congress won some praise from Chairman Naidu for being among those members who are known for taking up meetings as part of committees and holding them seriously. “I appreciate them,“ the Chair said.

The Chairman also read out a statement commending the Durga Puja of Kolkata being included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

“It is indeed a matter of great pride. I extend my hearty congratulations on behalf of citizens of the country for having kept the traditions alive and for introducing new fervour,” he said.

The Upper House has been locked in a stand-off over the suspension of 12 members for their “unruly conduct” on August 11—the last day of the Monsoon Session.

While Opposition members have been protesting loudly and demanding that the suspension be revoked, the Chairman has asked that the Opposition sit down with the Leader of the House and other members and sort out the issue.

Union Minister and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal has demanded that the Opposition apologise first.

On Wednesday, Goyal said that opposition members who were suspended had “attacked the lady marshalls” (during the Monsoon Session) and that “the least we can expect is an apology to the House”.

“The staff is working to protect and look after the House…. the least expectation is an apology and then we will be benevolent,” he said.

“And if they expect that they will attack a lady marshall, and attack marshalls of the House…. It is very unfortunate that senior members are unwilling to repent for actions of their colleagues,” Goyal added.

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