Venkaiah Naidu asks MPs to attend Parliament, make use of library

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who’s also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, on Monday asked the Members of the Parliament to attend the House and use its library facility.

Naidu’s appeal for House attendance came on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session. He said he has been told that some members don’t attend the House proceedings even when they are in the national capital.

“Going to library is going to enhance your knowledge. Attending the session, not missing it, also enhances understanding of Parliament procedures. So I call upon members to please visit (Parliament) library, make use of the library…and also please attend Parliament,” he said. He further said, “I am told they are in Delhi but they are not present in the House”.

The Parliament Library is completing 100 years this year. It has a huge collection of about 14 lakh books including hundreds of journals in all languages.

Budget Session adjourned

Meanwhile, the session in the Upper House opened to noisy discussions with the Opposition members seeking a debate on the issue of frequent increase in fuel prices. The proceedings were adjourned till 11 am.

Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjuna Kharge had given a notice for suspension of business to discuss “huge and frequent increase in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG even when global prices are ruling low.” However, Naidu did not allow the discussion, saying the issue can be debated “during the course of discussion on the Appropriation bill.”

“This is very important issue and it is a burning subject. Throughout the nation, people are agitated,” Kharge said, adding that petrol prices have touched nearly ₹100 a litre while the diesel rates are over ₹80 per litre and LPG prices have also increased. He said government has collected ₹21 lakh crore by putting excise duty and cess on petroleum products.

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On the Chair’s decision to continue the scheduled Question Hour, Opposition parties started shouting slogans demanding a debate on the fuel price issue. The Chair kept on asking the members to return to their seats but the Opposition members kept on shouting.

“If you don’t want the Question Hour to continue, if you want to deprive people of Question Hour, I can adjourn the House,” the Chairman said. But as members continued shouting in the House, the Chairman adjourned it till 11 am.

The second part of the Budget session of Parliament started on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on April 8.

(With inputs from agencies)