Give more space to Opposition: TMC, Left parties list suggestions for VP-elect Radhakrishnan

New Delhi, Sep 10 (PTI) Opposition parties on Wednesday hoped that Vice President-elect C P Radhakrishnan would hear them out and give more space to raise issues of common people in the Upper House of Parliament once he assumes the charge of Rajya Sabha chairman.

Opposition parties had in the past expressed concerns over not being granted enough time in the Upper House during the tenure of former chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. They had also moved a motion to remove Dhankhar as chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which was rejected.

A day after Radhakrishnan was elected to the second highest constitutional office, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh in a post on X extended best wishes to him, and recalled first vice president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's words in the Rajya Sabha in 1952 that a democracy is likely to "degenerate into a tyranny if it does not allow the opposition groups to criticise fairly, freely and frankly the policies of the government".

"Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan practised what he preached, both in letter and spirit," he said.

Leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien, came out with a raft of suggestions for the new vice president, stressing he should accept notices given by opposition parties and not censor them.

Radhakrishnan, who was elected Tuesday, should ensure that more Bills are sent for scrutiny of parliamentary committees, O'Brien said in a lengthy blogpost. Mass suspensions should not happen, he added.

The TMC 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 the panel of 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.

According to O'Brien, 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?" He said the chairperson should accept points of order and allow divisions (voting on bills) when sought by MPs, and urged the chairperson-designate to do away with birthday greetings.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha Leader John Brittas said the new chairman should make sure the Opposition is also carried along and gets the time and space it deserves.

"Elections are over, now the chairman is not a part of any political party; we do expect the chairman to make sure the Opposition is also carried along," Brittas told PTI.

"In Parliament and parliamentary democracy, the Opposition is an inalienable component. Without the Opposition, there is no Parliament or democracy," he said.

"The Opposition should be given the consideration, attention, space and time that it deserves. We do expect he would do justice," he said.

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar also hoped that Radhakrishnan would accommodate the "voice of the people", by accommodating the "voice of the Opposition".

"I hope the newly elected chairman can understand the gravity of the situation after the resignation of former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was the so-called blue-eyed boy of the ruling dispensation. He tried to control the Opposition using unethical, unparliamentary tactics to suppress the Opposition's voice," Kumar told PTI.

"He had a very distasteful exit, and completely disappeared... We need to appoint an inquiry commission to find where he is," Kumar said, adding, "I hope the new chairman can take some lessons from this and try to accommodate the voice of the people of India. It means accommodating the Opposition's voice as well... it should not be unilateral," he said.

Kumar hoped Radhakrishnan would uphold the prestige of India and its people.

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 seasoned politician from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background and a decades-long stint 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 July 21 almost two years before his term was to end.

Radhakrishnan is the third leader from Tamil Nadu to occupy the coveted post. PTI AO AO KSS KSS