RS Chairman Venkaiah Naidu reviews footage of scuffle with marshals

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday watched visuals of the Opposition protests inside the Upper House, including the one on August 11 when MPs and marshals entered into a scuffle, sources said.

Naidu went to Parliament House where he watched the "entire recording" to ascertain the sequence of events. He was not in the House when MPs' protest against the government passing of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill took place.

He was also not present when some MPs climbed the reporters' table on August 10 during the discussion on farmers' issues, prompting him to make a statement in the Upper House condemning the action during which he broke down.

Sources said Naidu is deeply anguished at the turn of events and wants action taken against the erring Opposition MPs, which will act as a "deterrent" in the future.

Interestingly, the government did not move a motion in Rajya Sabha on August 11 seeking suspension of MPs apparently not to disturb its plans to get the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, which restores states' power to identify Other Backward Classes (OBCs), passed.

However, in the case of Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen snatching an official paper from Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in July, the government had moved a motion and got him suspended for the remainder of the session the very next day.

It was BJD MP Sasmit Patra, a member of the presiding officers' panel, who conducted the passing of the OBC Bill and the insurance bill.

Sources said Naidu is seeking legal advice on the action to be taken against MPs, who are accused of unruly behaviour in the House. Former Rajya Sabha Secretary General VK Agnihotri among others are being consulted on the next course of action.

Naidu also held discussions earlier with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the "unfortunate sequence of events in Parliament" and decided to examine in detail unruly scenes in the past and action taken for deciding the future course of action.

They strongly felt that such unruly behaviour should not be tolerated and appropriate action should be taken, officials had said.

Both felt that such "persistent disruptions in defiance of repeated appeals" from the Chair and in "violation" of the rules have "dented the dignity and stature" of Parliament. They both said that these events need to be taken a "serious view of".

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