Opposition appeared committed to hampering the running of Rajya Sabha during winter session of Parliament: Prahlad Joshi

New Delhi [India], December 25 : Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi has accused the opposition parties of trying to hamper the functioning of Rajya Sabha during the winter session of parliament and said they have deviated from "well-known truth about what transpired in the recently concluded session".
"It is both astonishing and saddening that members of the opposition, especially senior members of the Congress party, have deviated from the well-known truth about what transpired in the recently concluded session, in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition appeared committed to hampering the running of the house. The public of our country and even history is witness to the level of noise and indiscipline the opposition has made a kind of practice" in the sittings of the house, he said in a statement.
"In fact, the opposition appears to use every means to not let the house proceedings carry on. It was painful when some members of the opposition reduced the temple of democracy to a theatre of street fight," he added.
Joshi said Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had reached out to the opposition to break the stalemate.
"The Chairman, deeply pained, reached out to the opposition to break the stalemate. The opposition came back in multiple voices which were unclear and contradictory at the same time. Duplicitous-ness was obvious beneath some weak conciliatory overtures. When the Chairman reached out in a concrete manner, the response proved that the intention beneath the conciliatory talk was that the House not run," he said.
"Now in order to somehow create the opposite narrative, senior members of the Congress party such as Jairam Ramesh by casting aspersions on the functioning of a Constitutional authority, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, do a disfavour not only to the truth, but to democracy itself," he added.
Joshi urged the members of the opposition to accept their role of opposition with grace, "participate in the smooth functioning of our democracy and not make factually and morally incorrect statements".
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also hit out at opposition parties over their remarks concerning the suspension of 12 MPs in Rajya Sabha during the winter session of parliament and said they "should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, women in the Parliament".
He said that the government made sincere efforts to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 MPs but the opposition was adamant on its stance.
"Opposition parties should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, incl women in Parliament and their unregretful, totally obstructive response to honest, sincere efforts of govt and Rajya Sabha Chairman to resolve the issue," said Goyal, who is Leader of House in Rajya Sabha.
Goyal's remarks were apparently in response to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who on Wednesday said he was ready to express "regret" on behalf of the 12 suspended MPs and accused the government of not being ready to resolve the stalemate over the suspension.
He also alleged that the government wanted to push bills through without discussion.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had said at the conclusion of the winter session that the House functioned much below its potential.
"I urged all of you to collectively and individually reflect and introspect if this Session could have been different and better," he said.