In his maiden speech on the first day of Winter Session on Monday, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan urged members to uphold the Constitution and not cross the ‘Laxman rekha’ of parliamentary discourse. The Vice-President said the Upper House has a vast amount of business to transact, and time is a challenging factor for both the members and the Chair in this regard.
He also said that leaders must also uphold parliamentary norms, “just as players always respect the referees, we also must respect the institutions”.
“Everyone, be it the Chairman or the members, we all should understand our responsibilities towards the nation. The Constitution of India, along with the rulebook of the Rajya Sabha, determines the ‘Lakshman rekha’ for parliamentary discourse. Every individual member’s rights must be ensured, but within the ‘Lakshman rekha’. I will always do my best to protect all your rightful claims,” he said in his 10-minute speech.
At the beginning of his address, he thanked PM Narendra Modi and all other members of the House for felicitating him. He also said he has met all floor leaders of the Upper House and stressed that “the entire nation looks up to them for mature deliberations on policies”. The VP said he reminded the members that their “dharma is to work with commitment and fulfil the people’s rightful aspirations”.
He said that Parliamentary practice and procedures such as ‘question hour’, ‘zero hour’ and ‘special mentions’ offer opportunities to every individual member to raise issues and concerns of the people. He added that only in a democracy does a person rise from the humblest beginning to high positions in public life.
“Let us commit ourselves to ensuring that our actions inside this House reflect the aspirations of every farmer, every worker, every street vendor, every woman and youth, and the poorest of the poor who look at Parliament with a lot of hope. We need to fulfil our constitutional commitment towards social justice and economic empowerment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and the other weaker sections of society,” he said.
“Citizens look up to Parliament, the highest forum of wisdom and collective judgement to guide the nation. The great Tamil saintly poet Thiruvalluvar teaches us: speak only words that are useful and meaningful, and avoid those that do not serve the interest of society,” the Chairman said.
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“As mentioned by many members, my humble journey from Tiruppur, the knitwear capital of India to New Delhi, the national capital. It’s the remarkable power of our democracy… This makes me more conscious of the duties and responsibilities of the Chair,” he added.
“It is my honour and privilege to serve Bharat Mata, and I thank you for electing me as Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha,” he said, adding that the Chair has been adorned by “the finest and most distinguished sons of the soil, whose intellect, dignity, and commitment to parliamentary democracy remain an enduring legacy”.
He urged members to act as “exemplary leaders” who uphold these constitutional ideals so every citizen, regardless of caste, creed, language, religion, or region, feels secure in the motherland.
