NEW DELHI: Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, in his first meeting with the floor leaders of various political parties on Tuesday, emphasised that “D4 – Dialogues, Deliberation, Debate and Discussion” are the basic tenets of parliamentary democracy.
In discussing ways to ensure the effective functioning of the Upper House, the Vice President dwelt upon various parliamentary principles that support the smooth running of the House during a session, with the support of all parties for the successful transaction of business.
He also urged the Rajya Sabha floor leaders of all parties to make full use of available instruments such as Zero Hour, Special Mentions, and Question Hour to raise issues of public concern and importance.
“Above all, we are for the people and their concerns to discuss and decide,” the Vice President was reported to have remarked during his meeting with the leaders.
The Vice President further stated that the Constitution of India, along with the Rules Book of the Rajya Sabha, defines the “Laxman-Rekha” for parliamentary discourse. In a very cordial meeting, he emphasised that every minute of the House during a session must be utilised to strengthen democracy.
“Every day, every hour, every minute, every second of the time in the House should be used to strengthen democracy,” he reportedly remarked, during his broader discussion with the members.
Receiving insights and suggestions from the members, he said that everything discussed at the meeting would contribute to strengthening parliamentary democracy. He thanked all the leaders for their insights and participation, describing the interaction as a great success.
Sources said the objective of the meeting was to discuss ways to facilitate the smooth functioning of the House in the upcoming session, promote structured discussions, and minimise disruptions.
The floor leaders of various parties exchanged their views on optimising the time and quality of discussions and debates in the Rajya Sabha.
Radhakrishnan was elected as the 15th Vice President of India on 9th September this year, securing 452 votes and defeating the Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy, who received just 300 votes. Before being elected as Vice President, Radhakrishnan served as the Governor of Maharashtra.
He is now serving as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, succeeding Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned from the post abruptly due to health reasons during the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Prominent leaders of floor who attended the first meeting of VP and Chairman of RS include Upendra Kushwaha, JP Nadda, and Sanjay Singh, Jairam Ramesh, and Pramod Tiwari, actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan, John Brittas, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Kiren Rijiju, Dr L Murugan, and others.
