Need tolerance, treasury benches should let the other side have its say, says Venkaiah Naidu

Times of India, August 09, 2022

Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, in his “last remarks” in the House after members from across parties delivered emotional speeches, said, “People want the House to Discuss, Debate and Decide – 3Ds. They do not want the other D, that is Disrupt.”

While addressing his farewell function organised by the members of Parliament in the Parliament House complex later in the evening, Naidu said there should be tolerance towards the mandate given by people, and the members of the treasury benches in the Parliament, despite having numbers in their favour, should let the other side have its say. “Let the opposition have its say, then the government will have its way because it has the majority…This is my advice,” he said.

During his remarks in the House, Naidu appealed to the members to maintain “decency, dignity and decorum” so the image and respect of the House is maintained. Earlier while presiding over his last session in Rajya Sabha, Naidu lamented that over 47 hours were lost due to disruptions in the Upper House, preventing members from raising issues of public importance.

“Members always say, ‘Please do not pass the Bill in the din’. I do agree. For that, the simple solution is that do not create the din and do not pass the Bill in the din. This is my advice to all and also for the future because whoever is going to occupy the Chair will have to follow the precedents and go by the decisions taken earlier,” Naidu asserted.

The outgoing Rajya Sabha chairman said he never aspired to be the President , but will continue to remain connected with people and interact with them. “Never aspired to be the President, never became a dissident or never confined to residence. I will not get into politics, as I told you. We are all working in our own ways. We are not enemies; we are rivals. We must work hard to outshine each other like competitors but not to run down each other.

He concluded by thanking the PM who he said has given him love and affection. “Also, I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition and other leaders on this side who have cooperated with me,” he said.

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