Give Rajya Sabha members virtual option for monsoon session, says senior Congress leader P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday urged Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to give members an option to participate “virtually” in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament.

Chidambaram said it would be “nearly impossible” to avoid the spread of the virus when 245 members of the Rajya Sabha gather in one place, with nearly 300 officers, staff and security personnel in attendance.

“It should be quite easy to employ technology to enable members to participate either physically or virtually in the proceedings of the House,” Chidambaram said, adding that the secretariat may choose an application to enable virtual participation of members in the proceedings.

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The former finance minister said, unlike in the case of meetings of the standing committees, the proceedings of the House are open, recorded, reported in the media, and telecast.

“All members should be requested to install the app in an electronic device. A link should be provided each day. Members who wish to attend the House physically may do so and members who wish to attend the House virtually will be enabled by the app and the link to do so,” Chidambaram said.

The monsoon session of the Parliament is expected to be convened in mid-September with the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha having sittings on alternate days.

The Parliament Secretariat has made an elaborate arrangement to ensure physical distancing among members. Sixty Rajya Sabha members will be seated in the Upper House chambers, 51 in the public galleries and the rest 132 in the Lok Sabha chamber.