Allow Oppn a voice, avoid censorship: Derek O’Brien urges 8 ideas on vice president-elect Radhakrishnan

Vice President-elect C.P. Radhakrishnan, who will also be the Rajya Sabha chairperson, should accept notices given by opposition parties and not censor them, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien said on 10 September, Wednesday, while putting forward a raft of suggestions for the namesake of India’s first vice-president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in a blogpost, which has also been published in his column in the Indian Express.

C.P. Radhakrishnan, who was voted into office on 9 September, Tuesday, should ensure that more bills are sent for scrutiny, O'Brien said in a lengthy blogpost. Mass suspensions should not happen, he added.

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

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

"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," he said.

He said Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha states that a member may ask the 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," he said.

The Trinamool Congress leader pointed out that 146 MPs were suspended 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 role of the 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 also alleges that visuals of opposition MPs protesting inside Parliament are not shown on government-run Sansad TV. Stressing that opposition protests should not be censored, he 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.

He said in the 14th Lok Sabha, 6 out of 10 bills were sent to various committees for scrutiny. In the 15th Lok Sabha, it was 7 out of 10. In the 16th Lok Sabha, this number fell to around 3 of 10, and in the 17th Lok Sabha, only 2 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.

O'Brien said the chairperson should also accept points of order, and division (voting on bills) should be allowed when sought by MPs.

He also urged the new chairperson to do away with birthday greetings, and said the time can be utilised on other important business.

Here are the eight key points argued by O'Brien in his blog:

1. Take 'notice' of the opposition: The acceptance of Opposition notices under Rule 267 has sharply declined, undermining their ability to initiate urgent national debates in Parliament.

2. Stop mass suspension of MPs: The unprecedented suspension of 146 MPs in December 2023 highlights the misuse of disciplinary action to silence legitimate demands, such as seeking accountability for security breaches.

3. Choosing vice chairs: The role of vice chairpersons should not be treated as symbolic or political favours, and only experienced MPs should be selected with informal consultation of their parties.

4. Do not censor opposition protests: Government-run Sansad TV must stop selectively broadcasting only treasury benches and ensure fair coverage of Opposition protests in Parliament.

5. Ensure more bills scrutinised by committee: The declining trend of referring bills to parliamentary committees weakens legislative quality and bypasses expert and stakeholder input.

6. Let MPs exercise constitutional rights: MPs must not be denied their constitutional right to call for division (voting) on bills, as was done during the passage of controversial legislation recently.

7. Must accept points of order: Points of order are legitimate tools to uphold parliamentary procedure, and the Chair must not ignore them when raised.

8. Do away with birthday greetings: Time spent on birthday wishes in the Rajya Sabha could be better used for substantive debate on national issues.

Radhakrishnan was elected the 15th vice president of India on Tuesday, bagging 452 votes against Opposition nominee and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy's 300 votes, amid indications of cross-voting in his favour.

The 67-year-old is a veteran politician from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background and decades-long stints first in the Jana Sangh and then the BJP. Seen as a soft-spoken and non-confrontational leader, he succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who suddenly resigned as vice president on 21 July almost two years before his term was to end.

He is the third leader from Tamil Nadu to occupy the coveted post.