New Delhi: The Vice President of India and the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that our bond with the people we serve is a bond that endures and it continues and only gets strengthened with each passing year. He further said that the principle of continuity is the hallmark of Rajya Sabha and we take pride in the strength of this fine blend of continuity with change. He was addressing the retiring members of Rajya Sabha, in Parliament today.
Saying Rajya Sabha exemplifies the principle of change and continuity in our polity, the Vice President appealed all political parties to give adequate representation to women in legislatures adding that participation of women Members in the proceedings of Rajya Sabha has been very significant. It is a matter of concern that despite the stellar contributions made by many women members, they still constitute only 11.7 per cent of the total membership of the House, he added.
The Vice President expressed his anguish on the way Rajya Sabha has been functioning for the past few days and said that disruptions have unfortunately become a part of political tactic and the House has often become the theatre of protest politics.
The Vice President asked retiring members to view it as an opportunity to promote the welfare of the people and not as a retirement from public life. There is no retirement to the politicians once they enter public life, he added.
On the occasion, the Vice President appreciated Prof. Kurien for his valuable guidance and cooperation. His professional advice has helped me immensely in discharging my duties and responsibilities, the Vice President said adding contributions made by each member always enriched and enlivened the debates in the House.
Following is the text of Vice President’s address:
“Rajya Sabha exemplifies the principle of change and continuity in our polity. As sixty members from seventeen States including four Nominated Members are retiring during April to July 2018 on completion of their tenure.
In the Rajya Sabha, we have this change every two years and this change co-exists alongside continuity. The new Members come with a new outlook, a new orientation and a new insight and they will certainly have the benefit of learning from some of the veteran Members who have excelled in their parliamentary work. This principle of continuity is the hallmark of Rajya Sabha and we take pride in the strength of this fine blend of continuity with change.
This time, we are bidding farewell to many stalwarts of the House including Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Prof. P.J. Kurien. I would like to place on record my deep sense of appreciation to Prof. Kurien for the valuable guidance and cooperation that I have received from him. His professional advice has helped me immensely in discharging my duties and responsibilities. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that our former Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Shri K. Rahman Khan is also retiring. When he presided over the House, I used to be a Member of this House representing the state of Karnataka, the State which he also represented. I have had the pleasure of witnessing him conducting the proceedings with a measure of dignity and grace.
Those who are retiring include many of our veteran members who have completed more than a decade in the House. Over these years, we have forged a common bond of friendship and purpose to take forward the cause of parliamentary democracy. On this occasion, let me place on record the contributions made by them which have always enriched and enlivened the debates in the House. Their initiative and participation in the Committees have been invaluable.
I would like to mention that four of our nominated members Ms. Rekha, Ms. Anu Aga, Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and Shri K. Parasaran are also retiring. These eminent Members with their enormous accomplishments in their respective fields have enhanced the stature and profile of the House.
Among those who are retiring, we also have more than a dozen Members from legal profession. I would like to mention that the contributions of these Members to the debates of the Rajya Sabha have been of very high quality reflecting their nuanced understanding of the legal and constitutional issues.
The participation of women Members in the proceedings of Rajya Sabha has been very significant. It is a matter of concern that despite the stellar contributions made by many women members, they still constitute only 11.7 per cent of the total membership of the House. Six of our women Members are retiring this time and 2 of them are returning to the house, besides 3 new women members will be entering the house. As against this in 2016 biennial elections, while ten women Members retired, only three women members got elected. It is ironical that even though Rajya Sabha is proud that it has passed the Women’s Reservation Bill way back in 2010 seeking better representation of women in legislative bodies, there is still a very low representation of women in this House. While expressing my heartfelt appreciation for the valuable contributions and services rendered by our women Members, I hope that all political parties would appreciate that providing adequate representation to women in Parliament and State legislatures has to be accorded priority.
Some of the Members who are retiring would be getting re-elected and would continue to work with us, I hope, with renewed vigour and zeal. I am glad that the Hon’ble Leader of the House, Shri Arun Jaitley Ji is also back with us. We congratulate him as well as other Ministers and Members on their re-election.
For those Members who would be leaving us, I would like to mention that this retirement from Rajya Sabha should be viewed as an opportunity to promote the welfare of the people and not as a retirement from public life.
Once we are in public life there is, in my view, no retirement.
Our bond with the people we serve is a bond that endures. It continues and only gets strengthened with each passing year.
I have had the honour of being the Chair for the last three Sessions. During this short span of time, I have had mixed emotions. On the one hand, I have witnessed very high quality of debates on several occasions and on the other hand, I am filled with sadness at the disorderly, indisciplined, intemperate conduct of some of us. In this current Session, I had, on several occasions, appealed to the good sense of the political parties, their leaders and the Members to ensure the smooth functioning of the House. I must confess that I am deeply perturbed at the way we have been conducting ourselves.
Disruptions have unfortunately become a part of political tactic and the House has often become the theatre of protest politics.
I would like to see a more constructive engagement with public issues in the future and a behaviour that befits the dignity and stature that people of this great country have bestowed upon us.
Let us not further erode the quality of our polity. Let us leave a legacy of powerful ideas, fruitful debates and respectful behaviour.
To each one of you, dear Members who are retiring from this House, I take this opportunity to wish you good health, happiness, fulfilment in life, and many more years of service to the nation.
