Naidu breaks down over ‘acts of sacrilege’ in House
In a rare display of emotion, Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu broke down on Wednesday, expressing “deep anguish” over “acts of sacrilege” by some MPS, a day after Opposition lawmakers protesting the contentious farm laws stormed the Well of the House, sat on a table there and threw a file at the Chair.
The monsoon session of Parliament came to a premature end on Wednesday, with both Houses adjourned against the backdrop of a series of loud and disruptive protests by the Opposition, seeking a discussion on the Pegasus snooping controversy, three contentious farm laws passed late last year and the fuel price rise.
A visibly upset Naidu didn’t deliver his customary valedictory address — the first time this is happening in the 11 sessions he has chaired.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla too, was “pained” at the way the monsoon session proceeded .
“I share people’s pain that their issues could not be discussed. Bills should be passed in the house after proper and productive discussions. And parliamentary traditions and sanctity of the institution need to be respected,” he added.
Naidu’s reaction seems to have been prompted largely by Tuesday’s happenings.
“Parliament, the apex legislature of our country is regarded as the temple of democracy. The Table area where the officers, the Secretary General and the Presiding Officer are seated is considered the holy sanctum sanctorum of the House. A certain degree of sacredness is attached to this place,” Naidu said. Wednesday marked his fourth year as the Chairman of the
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But the Opposition, which has suggested through the session that the Chair was biased towards the ruling party, remained unfazed. Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Presiding officers in Parliament are supposed to be neutral umpires, not partisan players. They cannot present a totally one-sided picture of goings on in the House and further aggravate the situation. Misplaced emotion leads to commotion.”
Breaking down in the House, Naidu said he spent a sleepless night on Tuesday struggling to find the provocation or reason for the Opposition forcing the House to hit a new low. He said the short duration discussion on agricultural problems and solutions was a “golden opportunity” for members protesting the farm laws to have gone on record with their positions on issues relating to the plight of the farmers.
The Opposition maintains that their request was for a debate on the farm laws, not a generic one on the plight of farmers into which it was converted. As the discussion was going on, the Opposition ratcheted up the intensity of its protests; some lawmakers stormed the Well of the House shouting slogans against the government and sat on a table occupied by Rajya Sabha staff, before climbing it.
“In our temples, devotees are allowed only up to the sanctum sanctorum and not beyond. Entering this sanctum sanctorum of the House in itself is an act of sacrilege and it has been happening as routine over the years…while some members sat on the Table, some others climbed on the Table of the House, perhaps to be more visible with such acts of sacrilege. I have no words to convey my anguish and to condemn such acts,” Naidu said.
As the protests continued, Naidu insisted that not taking up the listed discussion on farm sector issues would send out a negative message that the House was not interested in discussing the problems of India’s bread givers.
“Unfortunately, it went unheeded. In the process, some sections of the House have inflicted incalculable damage to the dignity and stature of this House. As the chairman, I am deeply distressed over it and so is the nation.”
He pointed out that it was worrisome that some members shot the “sad moments of sacrilege in the House” on their phones and posted it on social media. “While doing so, they only ended up showing to the people the extent to which this august House can degenerate due to the new-found competitive and aggressive disruptions by some sections,” he said.
He appealed to the “collective conscience of this House” to seriously reflect on what happened and explore remedies if any.
The House was adjourned soon after his comments as the protests continued.