TMC MP Derek O'Brien asks VP Radhakrishnan to treat Opposition fairly

Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien on Wednesday (September 10) said India’s new Vice President-elect CP Radhakrishnan should accept notices served by Opposition parties and not censor them.

The 64-year-old O’Brien, who is his party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, of which the vice president is also the chairman, said it while forwarding a set of suggestions for the new incumbent who would soon take oath.

Radhakrishnan, the candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) who was voted to office on Tuesday (September 9), should ensure more bills are sent for scrutiny, the Opposition MP said in a lengthy blogpost titled 'Eight Suggestions for the New Vice President'.

Also read: Congress sends 'impartiality' reminder to VP-elect, recalls S Radhakrishnan's words in 1952

Warns against mass suspension of MPs

He also said that mass suspensions should not happen, he added while congratulating the new vice president, who decisively defeated the Opposition candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court.

Radhakrishnan received 452 votes while Reddy finished with 300.

Radhakrishnan, a politician from Tamil Nadu and a former governor of Maharashtra who has a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background, succeeded Jagdeep Dhankhar, who abruptly stepped down in July.

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“Good wishes to the newly elected Vice President of India, CP Radhakrishnan. Eight suggestions for the new Vice President, who will also serve as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The TMC leader said an important tool that enables the Opposition MPs to hold the Union government accountable is submitting notices seeking discussions on important issues.

Also read: NDA's CP Radhakrishnan is India's next Vice-President

“In the eight years between 2009 and 2016, 110 notices were admitted into the Rajya Sabha for discussions. In the next eight years, between 2017 and 2024, that number dropped to an abysmal 36,” O’Brien said.

O'Brien cites Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha

He said Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha states that a member may ask the House’s Chair to suspend the business listed for the day, and instead take up a discussion on an issue of urgent national importance.

“Under the watch of Venkaiah Naidu and Jagdeep Dhankar, in eight years, not even one discussion was allowed under this rule,” the MP said.

Also read: Why CP Radhakrishnan ticked many boxes as NDA's V-P candidate

He also pointed out the suspension of 146 MPs from Parliament in December 2023.

“A dubious record. For context, during the 10 years of UPA I and UPA II, a total of 50 MPs were suspended,” he said.

He also said the panel of vice chairpersons in the Rajya Sabha should not be seen as a “perk”, and only those MPs with considerable experience should be chosen to perform this duty.

“The political party they are in needs to be (informally) consulted before names are announced.”

O’Brien said visuals of Opposition MPs protesting inside Parliament are not shown on government-run Sansad TV.

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Stressing that Opposition protests should not be censored, the MP asked, “Cameras and online edits of the proceedings only show the Treasury Benches. Is this fair?”

The new Rajya Sabha chairperson should also ensure that more bills are referred to parliamentary committees, he said.

Decreasing number of bills for scrutiny

O'Brien added that in the 14th Lok Sabha, six out of 10 bills were sent to various committees for scrutiny. In the 15th Lok Sabha, it was seven out of 10. In the 16th Lok Sabha, this number fell to around three of 10, and in the 17th Lok Sabha, only two of 10 bills were examined by a parliamentary committee, he said.

“When a Bill is referred to a parliamentary committee, it goes through critical examination with stakeholders and experts being consulted. This scrutiny often helps improve the quality of legislation,” he said.

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The TMC leader opined that the ex officio chairperson of the Upper House should accept the points of order, and division (voting on bills) should be allowed when the MPs ask for it. He also advised the vice president to do away with birthday greetings as the chair and instead use the time on other important issues.

(With Agency inputs)