Hon’ble Members,
As Chairman, I maintained utmost restraint and I indicated that not only Leader of the Opposition but very Constitutionally highly positioned persons including Prime Minister have been subjected to insinuations with no remorse. Let us not stoop to the level where we speak up only when our own house is on fire.
Hon’ble Members, in your presence right now Jairam Ramesh has levelled most atrocious allegation against the Chair that the Chair is diverting the issue. Please mark my words, your Chairman was called a cheerleader by Jairam Ramesh. And imagine my pain when a senior Congress leader videographed a mimicry of the Chairman on the sacred premises of this House and imagine the pain of the millions of people in the country when you have travelled outside only to taint, tarnish, demean and spoil reputations.
I was extremely considerate, and I was considerate also when it came to Rana Sanga issue. I did not reveal the personal part of it, the House in Sainik school in which I lived was named after Rana Sanga. A great son and there was no such response. Do we react only when our own beard catches fire? I showed highest respect to the Leader of the Opposition but if you mean to politicise then let me tell you expunction by Chairman should bring quietus to the issue, number one, and number two, I have tasked Ethics Committee headed by Ghanshyam Tiwari to get in touch with experts, try to devise a mechanism so that members can be counselled. Parties have to take responsibility how to rectify the reputations, how to save reputations and I have seen Mr. Derek O’Brien gesticulating to his members. Can we ever countenance it? And gentlemen. when I expunged observations of Derek O’Brien, he put them on social media on Twitter- Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8.
I can go to any extent to preserve order in this House. If you do not recognise the stature of the Prime Minister in his third term, you take things so contemptuously with the President of India… the first tribal women, a lady of grace, a lady of devotion, sacrifices at large, in her personality and these insinuations. These expressions have not emanated from the ordinary members. The source of these allegations is from political leadership.
I was trying to be accommodative for the sheer respect I have for every Member here but then this is used as a political transaction, it is used to set a political narrative. I saw Kharge ji taking assistance of former Prime Minister Devegowda ji but whenever Devegowda ji has spoken I had to suffer interruptions only from one segment. Why?
Hon’ble Members, on this day the day on which Rajya Sabha came into being let us think deeply. I don’t want to create any situation other than convergence of views to run the House more effectively.
