Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday that he would take action against members of the Upper House who disrupt Parliamentary proceedings “when necessary”.
"Assemblies and Parliament are meant for debate, discussion and decision. Debate, discuss and decide, but do not disrupt. Disruption means you are disrupting the cause of the country," Naidu said here at an event organized by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) in Vidhana Soudha.
Criticising the high drama in Rajya Sabha during the recent monsoon session as “a new low”, Naidu said that he was not afraid to take action. "I can take action [against the MPs]. When necessary, I will take [it] also. But the point is, when people of the country see such things on television, they will become sad. This has to be kept in mind by everybody," he said.
Naidu was referring to the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha over a week ago when two Opposition MPs climbed the reporters' table and while around half a dozen MPs sat on the table.
Naidu offered advice to both the majority and minority parties in Rajya Sabha. "In democracy, you (the minority) must respect the decision of the majority, the decision of the people. And the majority must keep in mind the need to take the minority [together]," he said.
Noting that protest and dissent were rights in a democracy, Naidu said: "[We must] agree to disagree. But you cannot physically force somebody.”
Following the adjournment of the Parliament, Naidu said that a lot of youngsters had called him to ask why he was sad. "I said, 'I am sad because of the bad behaviour of some people’."
Assemblies of various states were also being disrupted regularly, Naidu rued. "Every public representative should keep in mind the need to raise the standards of the institutions he or she is representing," he said, adding that he is hoping for a positive change in discussions at Assemblies and the Parliament.