Rajya Sabha adjourns after arguments between Venkaiah, Congress MPs

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed an abrupt adjournment following a brief argument between Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and some Congress members soon after the House assembled for the day.

After tabling of the listed papers, Mr Naidu expressed his anguish saying the House has not functioned ever since it resumed on March 5 after recess during the Budget Session.

He said there were larger issues like banking scam, Cauvery river water sharing, demand for a special package to Andhra Pradesh and sealing in the national capital, which were agitating the minds of people and needed to be discussed.

Hoping that the House would function normally from next week, he said, “I am very much pained that the Upper House of Parliament is not able to transact its business for last two weeks. Dont’t test my patience... We are meeting, greeting and not doing anything and adjourning.”

In the backdrop of repeated adjournments of the House with protesting members trooping into the Well, raising slogans and some even carrying placards, Mr Naidu said issues cannot be decided physically as at the end of the day “we have to go by consensus or by the majority of the House.”

He appealed to members to ensure smooth functioning of the House before “I take extreme views”.

As he was making the appeal, Congress’s Satyavrat Chaturvedi stood up and said he agreed with the Chair, but sought to know whether it was for the first time that he is witnessing such a scenario in Parliament.