The Opposition parties on Tuesday expressed dismay as Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan deviated from the practice of reading out names of members and the subjects proposed by them for discussion in the House under a rule that requires suspension of all listed business.
Radhakrishnan merely said that 21 notices have been received for discussion under Rule 267 in five different subjects. He rejected them, saying these notices do not fulfil the requirements specified in two rulings by his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, protested the departure from the practice by the Chairman. “The objectives of notices submitted under Rule 267, subjects and the names of members should be read out. This has been the tradition. You did not read the subjects and the names. This is not fair,” Kharge said.
Usually, the Chairperson reads out the names of members and the subjects they have sought discussion on under Rule 267 before declining them. However, during the monsoon session, Deputy Chairman Harivansh started ignoring the names and subjects of notices moved under Rule 267. The Opposition parties had protested.
On August 5, Harivansh said 34 notices were received for discussion under Rule 267, but did not read the names of members and the issues. On August 6, the Deputy Chairman observed that notices under Rule 267 were being “used as a tool to create disorder in the House”.