HYDERABAD: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will soon conduct proceedings in the Upper House in Telugu. He said this on Friday, the final day of the winter session of Parliament.
“I am keen to conduct the proceedings of the House in my native language, Telugu, for a full day, and hope to do so with the cooperation of all of you one day. Don’t be afraid; only for a day,” Naidu said. The chairman, in his valedictory speech, appreciated the members who spoke in Telugu and other regional languages, and wanted them to continue the same.
Several TRS MPs spoke in Telugu while participating in debates in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara spoke in Telugu during the debate on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Reacting to members speaking in their mother tongue in the RS, Naidu said: “For the first time in 67 years since the inception of this august institution, a member could speak in Santhali, one of the 22 scheduled languages, with simultaneous interpretation.”
“I urge other members... to try to speak more in their mother tongue, particularly the scheduled languages, so that... our people, the constituents, will be able to understand,” he added.