Decency, decorum a must says Venkaiah Naidu as Parliament is adjourned abruptly

New Delhi, Dec 22: As the Parliament was adjourned sine die, ahead of schedule, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday expressed his concern and unhappiness over functioning of House during Winter Session that concluded today.

In his brief valedictory remarks, he urged Members to collectively reflect and individually introspect on the way the Session has gone by. The session, which started on November 29, was scheduled to conclude on December 23.

As many as 10 Bills were passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session while the discussion on the Appropriation Bill scheduled to be concluded on the last day today was not taken up.

A total time of 21 hours 7 minutes was spent on discussing the Government Bills including the Appropriation Bill accounting for 46.50% of the functional time of the House. 127 interventions were made by the Members in these debates.

Soon after laying of listed papers and reports, Naidu said he was not happy to share with members the that the House functioned "much below its potential".

"I urge all of you to...reflect and introspect if this session could have been different and better. I don't want to speak elaborately on the course of the session that would lead me to make a very critical view," he said.

The chairman stressed that rulings, regulations and procedures have to be followed and said precedents, decency and decorum has to be maintained by members in the House.

He also called on members for "realisation of what has happened is wrong" and said that "we should all work towards a constructive and positive atmosphere for the larger interest of the country".

Naidu wished MPs a Merry Christmas and a prosperous English New Year, and also conveyed his greetings for Makar Sankranti, Pongal and other upcoming festivals.

The session was a stormy one as it witnessed several disruptions by members of opposition parties, including they trooping into the Well of the House, carrying placards, over the suspension of 12 MPs for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August.

Opposition members also protested on the Special Investigation Team's report regarding the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh and farmers' issues, among others.

Despite disruptions and loss of business hours, the Rajya Sabha passed several key bills, including those related to electoral reforms and surrogacy.