Trinamool Congress MP Derek Obreon said on Wednesday that CP Radhakrishnan, the newly elected Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, should accept notices given by the opposition parties, not to stop them.
Obreon said in a long blogpost that Radhakrishnan, who was elected to the presidency on Tuesday, should ensure that more bills are sent to parliamentary committees for studies. He said that there should be no suspension of members on a large scale.
The Rajya Sabha member said, “Best wishes to the newly elected Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan. Eight suggestions for the new Vice President, who will also be the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
The Trinamool leader said that the opposition MPs are to give notice to discuss important issues to the central government to hold the central government accountable.
He said, “In eight years between 2009 and 2016, 110 notices were accepted for discussion in Rajya Sabha. In the next eight years, between 2017 and 2024, this number decreased to just 36. ”
Obreon said that as per Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha, any member can request the Chairman to postpone the task listed for that day and to discuss any urgent issue of national importance instead.
He said, “In the tenure of Venkaiah Naidu and Jagdeep Dhankhar, in eight years, not a single discussion was allowed under this rule.”
The Trinamool Congress leader said that in December 2023 146 MPs were suspended from Parliament. He said, “This is a suspicious record. For reference, during 10 years of UPA-1 and UPA-2, a total of 50 MPs were suspended. ”
He also said that the panel of the Deputy Chairman in the Rajya Sabha should not be seen as a ‘facility’, and only those MPs should be selected for this obligation who have enough experience.
“Before the announcement of the names, the political party in which they are (informally) should be consulted,” Obreon said.
According to him, scenes of protests by opposition MPs within Parliament are not shown on Government Parliament TV. Emphasizing the opposition’s protests not being censored, he asked, “The cameras of the proceedings and online editing only show the ruling party. is it fair?”
He said that the new Chairman of Rajya Sabha should also ensure that more and more bills are sent to parliamentary committees.
