Rajya Sabha adjourns sine die
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, concluding a session that witnessed more chaos than legislative business, with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urging members to reflect and choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruption.
The House was adjourned sine die after adoption of a motion to nominate 12 members of Rajya Sabha to the joint committee of Parliament to examine the two bills on holding of simultaneous polls in the country.
In his concluding remarks, the Chairman said, "Our democratic legacy demands we rise above political differences and restore the sanctity of Parliamentary discourse".
He said the House effectively functioned for just 43 hours and 27 minutes with a productivity of merely 40.03 percent during the Winter Session that began on November 25.
Dhankhar said he was imparting the Valedictory Remarks taking note of the suggestion made after concurring with Leader of the House J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, and other leaders including N D Gupta, Tiruchi Siva and Jairam Ramesh.
"As we conclude this session coinciding with the 75th anniversary of our Constitution, we face a moment of serious reflection. While our celebration of Samvidhan Diwas in the historic Samvidhan Sadan was meant to reaffirm democratic values, our actions in this House tell a different story. The stark reality is troubling.
"This session's productivity stands at a mere 40.03 per cent with just 43 hours and 27 minutes of productive functioning. As Parliamentarians we are drawing severe criticism from the people of India and rightfully so. These persistent disruptions are steadily eroding public trust in our democratic institutions," Dhankhar said.
He said while the Upper House did pass the Oilfields Amendment Bill and the Boilers Bill of 2024 and had the statement by the Minister of External Affairs on the India-China relations, these achievements are overshadowed by "our failures".
"The growing trend of publicising notices through media before Parliamentary consideration and recourse to Rule 267 further undermine our institutional dignity," he noted.
"We stand at a critical crossroads. The 1.4 billion citizens of Bharat expect better from us. It is time to choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruption. Our democratic legacy demands we rise above political differences and restore the sanctity of Parliamentary discourse," he said.
"Let us return with renewed commitment to serve our nation with the dignity it deserves," the Chairman asserted before adjourning the House sine die.
Earlier, when the House met this morning, it witnessed protests by opposition members and was adjourned amid the din.
The Chairman also held a meeting with Leader of the House J P Nadda, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge besides the leaders of various opposition parties in a bid to end the impasse in the House.
When the House again met at 12 noon, the Chairman asked Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to move a motion for nominating members of the Upper House to the joint committee of Parliament to examine the bills related to 'one nation, one election'.
The motion was adopted with a voice vote.
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British rulers left India not due to satyagraha but after they saw arms in people's hands: Bihar Guv
Panaji, Dec 20: Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Friday said British rulers left India not because of 'satyagraha', but when they saw arms in native people's hands and realised that they can go to any extent.
Referring to the Portuguese inquisition of Goa, he said it is time a true perspective about history is brought to light without being afraid of anyone.
Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) had set up a narrative that you are born to be slaves and the then government also supported it, Arlekar alleged without naming the Congress-led dispensations.
He was speaking at the "A Brief History of Freedom Struggle in North East of India (1498 to 1947)" book authored by Anandita Singh.
In his half-an-hour-long speech, Arlekar, who hails from Goa, said, "What is Goa inquisition? What is that exactly? If we try to bring it out, then some people in Goa get upset. They feel pain."
"Are we not supposed to tell what your roots are? Some people get upset if we try to tell them from where you belong to, where are your roots. Why should it be?" he said.
We have to speak out without being afraid of anyone, he added.
"Those who invaded us can never be ours. That is why it is necessary to bring out our perspective," he said.
Arlekar, a former Goa legislative assembly speaker, said if people from places like Guwahati are here telling us their history, why don't Goans write the true history of the land.
"The invaders tried to create a narrative. The Indian freedom movement was not without arms. They did not leave India because of 'satyagraha'. But when they saw arms in our hands and they realised that we can go to any extent, then they decided to leave the country," the Bihar governor added.
Arlekar appealed that we should go through the speeches of MPs in the British Parliament during that time, which clearly speaks about the armed struggle.
"They (MPs) have not just mentioned about satyagraha, but were also mentioning about the armed struggle which made Britishers realise that it is time they should leave India," he said.
Satyagraha was a method of peaceful resistance used by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule.
Referring to the Indian history written in books, Arlekar said that the ICHR has set up a narrative that you are born to be slaves.
"Unfortunately, the then government (of the Congress) also supported their narrative. This was a very sad part of the beginning of our Independence," he said.
Arlekar said, "We are being told that Indians are very bad in upkeep of historical evidence. That is not true."
"Our evidence was destroyed by you people. But still we have evidence. We should make it a basis and there is a need to bring out the true history of Goa. In the days to come, the true history of Goa would be revealed," he added.
