13 times RS Dy Chairman asked MPs to allow division of votes: Venkaiah

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refuted the opposition’s charge against the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh that he did not allow the division of votes in the upper house on the two agriculture bills, writes ETV Bharat's Deputy News Editor Krishnanand Tripathi.

New Delhi:Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday vehemently rejected the opposition’s charge against the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh that he did not allow the division of votes in the upper house on the two crucial bills related to the farm sector on Sunday. Venkaiah Naidu, who holds the dual position of the Vice President and also that of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, also rejected the motion moved by the opposition parties expressing no confidence in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman.

A visibly upset Venkaiah Naidu told the House that Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked the members more than a dozen times to go back to their seats so that he can conduct the division of votes as per the procedure.

On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed two agriculture-related bills: the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 without division amid noisy scenes in the house. Opposition parties blamed the government for bulldozing the bill through the Rajya Sabha where NDA does not have a clear majority unlike the Lok Sabha and relies on the support of other regional parties to pass the bills.

Read:|Watch: Derek O'Brien tears rule book during farm bill debate in Rajya Sabha

“Yes! Members have a right to ask for the division on different occasions. On this occasion, they asked for the division, then Deputy Chairman, it is on record and you can verify it, and if there is something wrong then bring it to our notice and we can rectify the mistakes for the future. The proceedings say that 13 times the Deputy Chairman from here said please go back to your seats and ‘I will allow the division’ (of votes),” Venkaiah Naidu told the members in the upper house.

“Thirteen times he announced from here, then what happened, they have not gone back. This is as far as the procedure is concerned,” he said while expressing his anguish over the unfortunate incident of ruckus in the Rajya Sabha as the house became the battleground between the NDA government and the opposition parties.

15 bills passed without division of votes: Venkaiah Naidu

While blaming the unruly behaviour of some opposition members that precluded a division of votes, Venkaiah Naidu said 15 bills have been passed in both the Houses of Parliament in the past without a division of votes due to din and disturbance in the respective houses.

“15 bills have been passed in this house and the other house amid the din and that too without a division of votes, even very important bills,” Venkaiah Naidu said.

Read:|Had majority in RS, Dy Chairman was ready to allow division: BJP MP

“The house has passed the bills without divisions in the din which is not a healthy thing in a democracy but there are a number of instances. Thirdly, the Deputy Chairman cautioned them and told them to go back 13 times,” Venkaiah Naidu said while explaining about what happened in the house on Sunday.

Suspension of eight opposition members

Venkaiah Naidu said it was not for the first time when members, including the members of a ruling party, have been named by the Chair for their unruly behaviour and suspended from the house.

On Monday, eight Rajya Sabha members, including Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen of Trinamool Congress, Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party, Rajeev Satav, Syed Naseer Hussain and Ripun Bora of Indian National Congress, and CPI(M) members K.K. Ragesh and Elamaram Kareem were suspended for the remainder of the session.

Read:|RS dy chairman Harivansh offers tea to suspended MPs; PM Modi lauds gesture

“Suspension, this is not the first time. I am not happy about the suspension, after all, they are my members, they are our countrymen, the action is against the conduct and not against the person. We don't have anything against any person. I have a long list of the members who have been suspended,” said the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

What will happen to the suspended members

Elaborating on the procedure, Venkaiah Naidu said the members will remain suspended for the remaining period of the session. He, however, hinted that it was up to the house to revoke the suspension or decrease the suspension period if the 8 suspended members expressed regret over their conduct.

Elaborating on the suspension of members, Venkaiah Naidu said, according to the rules, these members cannot move any motion, or vote on a bill or participate in the proceedings of the house for the remainder of the session.

Suspended members justified unruly behaviour: Venkaiah Naidu

While referring to the remarks made by Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and TRS leader Keshav Rao, Venkaih Naidu said at least some opposition leaders acknowledged that it was in a spur of the moment but he expressed his anguish over the justification of their action by the 8 suspended members.

“Ram Gopal Ji, Keshava Rao Ji said to err is human, it was due to emotion. I am happy that at least some leaders acknowledged it,” he said.

Read:|LIVE: 8 suspended MPs end 'dharna', join session's boycott

Expressing his anguish over the justification of their action by the suspended MPs, Venkaiah Naidu said it was a different thing if a member does something in a moment of heat or due to some emotion but later, he realises and admits his mistake.

“Today, you go through the newspapers, they all have justified it, not only they justified it but they also said what is wrong in that and also confirmed that they have done it,” Naidu told the Rajya Sabha.

“Going to the well; nothing wrong! Dancing on the table; nothing wrong! Throwing the paper; nothing wrong! Moving on to the Deputy Chairman from this side and that side; Nothing wrong! And then justify it. At least I can't justify it,” Venkaiah Naidu told the house while lamenting the unruly behaviour by some opposition members.

Venkaiah Naidu said Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh conducted the discussion for four hours as per the time allotted in the meeting of the business advisory committee and then tried to conduct the division of votes as demanded by opposition members but he could not do it due to ruckus in the house.

Every member was allowed to speak: Naidu

"Everybody, according to the information we have, whoever has given name, they have been allowed to speak, all members who have given names were allowed to speak, so the members spoke according to the time allotted to their party. Secondly, the minister was replying so the deputy chairman asked the minister to give the reply and then go ahead concerning the issue of division.

"When the time is exhausted and the Deputy Chairman asks you to go back to your seat and you don't bother. And now you say that the government didn't have the numbers. I don't want to get into that, that's not my business, whether the government has numbers or not. They will say that and when the occasion comes it can be proved even today, tomorrow or at the earliest.

"If you have the numbers, you should stay in your seat and ask for the division. The Deputy Chairman will allow it and it can be proved that who has the numbers or not," said the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

“Four hours were allotted and everybody participated and the bills have been passed in the din earlier as well so don't try to blame the chair,” Naidu told the opposition members.

Read:|Rajya Sabha adjourned till tomorrow amid protest against suspension of MPs