Action against Opposition MPs for ruckus in RS unlikely soon

Venkaiah Naidu has started seeking legal consultation on possible action that can be taken against opposition MPs who allegedly disrupted House proceedings, damaged property and manhandled marshals on the last day of the monsoon session

Punitive action being sought by the government against opposition MPs accused of creating pandemonium in the Rajya Sabha on August 11 could be some time away (if at all) not just on account of the lengthy process involved, but also because the final step requires the House to be in session.

Opposition MPs create uproar in Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session of parliament, in New Delhi on August 11. (ANI)

One Rajya Sabha official familiar with the matter said Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu has to go through the allegations carefully, consult experts and take legal opinion before he decides whether there is need to set up a panel that will, in turn, recommend the action that needs to be taken against the lawmakers.

“But as any action against lawmakers has to be taken through a motion (proposal) in the Rajya Sabha to get the nod of the House, it can only happen during the next session,” said former Lok Sabha secretary general P Sreedharan.

Naidu has started seeking legal consultation on possible action that can be taken against opposition MPs who allegedly disrupted House proceedings, damaged property and manhandled marshals on the last day of the monsoon session.

If there’s prima facie proof of unruly conduct and other allegations of violence, the Rajya Sabha secretariat might set up a panel. The secretariat clarified that steps can be taken against a member even after the session is over. “The monsoon session might have ended, but the lawmakers continue to be a member of the House,” explained a top functionary who asked not to be named.

Naidu, however, is personally averse to taking the extreme step of suspending members for the remainder of their terms in the House.

On August 15, a delegation of seven ministers led by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal met Naidu and requested action against the members for what they called unprecedented, extreme and violent acts in the House. The government has already requested him to take exemplary action against lawmakers who were seen climbing tables in the Upper House, ripping papers, throwing the rule book and damaging property.

The Rajya Sabha secretariat has further reported to Naidu that some Opposition leaders “threatened” deputy chairman Harivansh and even used “abusive language” while doing so.

Fierce protests erupted in the Upper House on the last day of the monsoon session of parliament as the government tried to clear the general insurance amendment bill even as a section of the opposition opposed it, claiming it required scrutiny by a select committee.

Amid speculation that some of the allies and friendly parties could also send a written complaint to the Rajya Sabha chairperson, a senior leader of the BJP said, “Some MPs had indicated that they could approach the Rajya Sabha chairperson to take action against the disruptions because it had also prevented them from raising issues in the house and obstructed their functioning...”