My heart bleeds when house does not function: Venkaiah Naidu

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha Day celebrations on Monday, chairman of the upper house Venkaiah Naidu, said that his "heart bleeds" when the House does not function due to disruptions and added that people of the country want it to be a performing house.

Delhi:Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that his "heart bleeds" when the House does not function due to disruptions and added that people of the country want it to be a performing house.

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha Day celebrations organised in the national capital, Naidu said, over the years, the House has emerged as a vibrant second chamber of Parliament, contributing to tasks of nation-building.

"The members can alone make the august House a performing one or a dysfunctional one. The choice is of the members. We should all keep in mind the expectations of the people and try to live up to them," Naidu was quoted in a statement issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat.

Applauding Rajya Sabha Television (RSTV) for making rapid strides in terms of its content and viewership since August 2017 when he took over as Chairman, Naidu said the YouTube subscriber base of the channel is now over 2.5 million and is far ahead of other major channels.

He also appreciated the employees of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for rendering non-partisan and objective secretarial assistance to the presiding officers, the members, the house and the parliamentary committees which could sustain the progressive change in Parliament's work profile, thus contributing to democratic nation-building.