Political battles should not be fought on the ‘Table of the House’, says Venkaiah Naidu

RS report for action against Oppn MPs; lawmaker complains of assault

The political battles should not be fought on the “table of the House”, Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said in an informal interaction on Friday, two-days after the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 was passed in Rajya Sabha amid fierce protests from the Opposition who also had a tussle with a strong contingent of marshals deployed in the chamber. On August 10 when Rajya Sabha took up a discussion on “the agricultural problems and solutions”, some opposition members, demanding a discussion on the Pegasus cyberattack and a repeal of the farm laws, had clambered onto the reporter’s table which is placed right in front of the Chair. On August 11 again, when the government, despite demands from a united opposition to send the Insurance Bill to a select committee, pushed to pass the legislation, similar scenes were repeated. To prevent opposition members from climbing on to the table, 42 marshals were deployed. As The Hindu has reported, the Bill was passed amid clashes between opposition members and marshals.