Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu

HYDERABAD: Expressing concern over the way Parliament has been functioning in recent times, marked by frequent adjournments, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu today said all parties and MPs need to ponder over the matter.

Recalling that he had read the speeches of distinguished personalities like S Radhakrishnan after he came to know that he was going to be the Rajya Sabha chairman, he said scenes like members shouting and creating disturbances made him sad.

Such scenes made him feel ashamed when school children and college students were witnessing proceedings from the Rajya Sabha gallery, he said.

Naidu said some members had told him not to get too emotional over the issue.

"All parties and MPs need to review the way we are behaving in Parliament which is pre-eminent in a democracy .

Because, as a saying goes, 'as is the king, so are his subjects," he said.

"Hyderabad sees Delhi (how the legislature functioned), municipality sees Hyderabad, Panchayati sees municipality, High school children see Panchayati... all these follow one another.

The time has come to see whether we are upholding the traditions to be emulated like that," he said.

Naidu was speaking at a meeting organised by his friends and well-wishers here this evening on his completion of one year in office as Vice President,

"It is our duty now to see that we maintain those standards. Debate and discussion should be the hallmark of parliament, Naidu said.

"Let the government propose, opposition oppose, house dispose," he said.

