News Analysis India

Tag: M Venkaiah Naidu

  • Kharge writes to Naidu for expunging remarks by Sitharaman, Goyal on Sonia in RS

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to expunge the remarks made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal on Sonia Gandhi in the House.

    Kharge also demanded that the ministers should tender their apology for violating the conventions of the House.

    His letter came a day after Sitharaman and Goyal attacked Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his “rashtrapatni” remark while referring to President Droupadi Murmu.

    Both the ministers also hit out at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and demanded an apology from her.

    In his letter, Kharge said as per Parliamentary practices and conventions critical remarks should not be made on the other House or members of the other House.

    He also cited a ruling made by former RS Chairman R Venkataraman on April 15, 1987, wherein he observed that “No person who is not a member of this House can be referred to in the House in a derogatory manner or in any other way affecting his reputation”.

    The senior Congress leader said even the question of privilege cannot be raised directly in one house against members of the other House.

    In this regard, he said, a procedure has been laid down based on a report of Joint Sitting of Committees of Privileges of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which was presented to both Houses on August 23, 1954 and later adopted by the Houses in December, 1954.

    “As per this procedure, when a question of breach of privilege or contempt of the House is raised in either of the House in which a member, officer or servant of the other House is involved, the procedure followed is that the Presiding Officer of the House in which the question of privilege is raised, refers the case to the Presiding Officer of the other House”, Kharge said.

    He said he mentioned this procedure to emphasise the sanctity of sovereignty of each House of Parliament and its members.

    “Hence mentioning and making remarks in regard to a member of the Lower House in the Upper House is a gross violation of the time-honoured conventions. Needless to mention, as Chairman of this august House, your good self would appreciate the need for adherence to well-established Parliamentary conventions and practices,” he said.

    “In view of my aforementioned submissions, I request you to kindly expunge the remarks made by Sitharaman and Goyal vis-a-vis Smt Sonia Gandhi in the House yesterday, 28 July, 2022. I also request that they tender their apology for their violation of sacrosanct conventions of the House,” Kharge said in his letter.

    On Thursday, the row over Chowdhury’s “rashtrapatni” remark escalated with the opposition party accusing BJP MPs of subjecting its president to “brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation” in the Lok Sabha.

    Demanding an apology from the Congress president, the finance minister had said Sonia Gandhi appointed Chowdhury as the leader in Lok Sabha to speak and he had insulted the President.

    NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to expunge the remarks made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal on Sonia Gandhi in the House.

    Kharge also demanded that the ministers should tender their apology for violating the conventions of the House.

    His letter came a day after Sitharaman and Goyal attacked Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his “rashtrapatni” remark while referring to President Droupadi Murmu.

    Both the ministers also hit out at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and demanded an apology from her.

    In his letter, Kharge said as per Parliamentary practices and conventions critical remarks should not be made on the other House or members of the other House.

    He also cited a ruling made by former RS Chairman R Venkataraman on April 15, 1987, wherein he observed that “No person who is not a member of this House can be referred to in the House in a derogatory manner or in any other way affecting his reputation”.

    The senior Congress leader said even the question of privilege cannot be raised directly in one house against members of the other House.

    In this regard, he said, a procedure has been laid down based on a report of Joint Sitting of Committees of Privileges of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which was presented to both Houses on August 23, 1954 and later adopted by the Houses in December, 1954.

    “As per this procedure, when a question of breach of privilege or contempt of the House is raised in either of the House in which a member, officer or servant of the other House is involved, the procedure followed is that the Presiding Officer of the House in which the question of privilege is raised, refers the case to the Presiding Officer of the other House”, Kharge said.

    He said he mentioned this procedure to emphasise the sanctity of sovereignty of each House of Parliament and its members.

    “Hence mentioning and making remarks in regard to a member of the Lower House in the Upper House is a gross violation of the time-honoured conventions. Needless to mention, as Chairman of this august House, your good self would appreciate the need for adherence to well-established Parliamentary conventions and practices,” he said.

    “In view of my aforementioned submissions, I request you to kindly expunge the remarks made by Sitharaman and Goyal vis-a-vis Smt Sonia Gandhi in the House yesterday, 28 July, 2022. I also request that they tender their apology for their violation of sacrosanct conventions of the House,” Kharge said in his letter.

    On Thursday, the row over Chowdhury’s “rashtrapatni” remark escalated with the opposition party accusing BJP MPs of subjecting its president to “brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation” in the Lok Sabha.

    Demanding an apology from the Congress president, the finance minister had said Sonia Gandhi appointed Chowdhury as the leader in Lok Sabha to speak and he had insulted the President.

  • Women participation in workforce should rise: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu

    By Express News Service

    VIJAYAWADA: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said the contribution of women in the Indian workforce should increase. He was the chief guest at the diamond jubilee celebrations of Maris Stella College, Vijayawada on Friday.

    On the occasion, he released a souvenir and addressed the students on the need for women empowerment and value-based education. He expressed concern for the less number of women in the workforce in the country.

    He said women should overcome hurdles, and all stakeholders must work together to achieve the goal of women empowerment. The V-P appreciated services rendered by the college. On the second day (July 16) of the celebrations, Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan will inaugurate a new block on the premises.

    Provincial Sr Tresa Thomas, correspondent Sr sleeva, ex-health minister Kamineni Srinivas, MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao, MP Kesineni Nani,  former additional deputy comptroller and  auditor general  Vani Sriram, principal  secretary, Women and Child Welfare  AR Anuradha and collector Dilli Rao were also present.

    VIJAYAWADA: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said the contribution of women in the Indian workforce should increase. He was the chief guest at the diamond jubilee celebrations of Maris Stella College, Vijayawada on Friday.

    On the occasion, he released a souvenir and addressed the students on the need for women empowerment and value-based education. He expressed concern for the less number of women in the workforce in the country.

    He said women should overcome hurdles, and all stakeholders must work together to achieve the goal of women empowerment. The V-P appreciated services rendered by the college. On the second day (July 16) of the celebrations, Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan will inaugurate a new block on the premises.

    Provincial Sr Tresa Thomas, correspondent Sr sleeva, ex-health minister Kamineni Srinivas, MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao, MP Kesineni Nani,  former additional deputy comptroller and  auditor general  Vani Sriram, principal  secretary, Women and Child Welfare  AR Anuradha and collector Dilli Rao were also present.

  • Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu calls for fund boost to agriculture research

    By Express News Service

    HYDERABAD: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need for further investment in agricultural research and extension, to achieve sustainable gains in agricultural productivity.

    He said that expenditure on research and development in India was less than one per cent of the contribution of agriculture in the Gross Development Product (GDP), and less than what other developing and developed nations were spending on that front.

    Addressing the fourth graduation ceremony of PGDM (ABM), ICAR- National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad on Saturday, he felt that investment in genomics, molecular breeding and nanotechnology was the way forward.

    Terming the role of extension workers, researchers, agricultural scientists and agro-business professionals as ‘indispensable’; he felt that development of new technologies for sustainable production need to be taken to farmers with the slogan ‘lab to land’.

    He spoke about the importance of bringing synergy between agriculture and modern technologies like drones, artificial intelligence and so on, by developing scalable and customized products to the farms, and hoped mobile-based extension services would be delivered to farmers far away from research stations.

  • Modern India must have police force which meets democratic aspirations of people: Naidu

    Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu called for particularly strengthening the police units at the grassroots who are the first responders in most cases.

  • Certain incidents happening during Governors’ address should be avoided: Vice President Naidu 

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Certain incidents happening during Governors’ addresses and violence taking place in certain institutions should be completely avoided as such things will weaken democracy and leave people disillusioned, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.

    “In a democracy, if you don’t like the government, you can agitate peacefully with patience and wait for the election,” he said while urging political parties to respect people’s mandate and avoid violence.

    His statements comes a day after Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari left the Vidhan Bhavan’s Central Hall in Mumbai without completing his address to the joint session of both the Houses of the state legislature amid slogan-shouting by legislators.

    On Wednesday, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat also had to cut short his customary address to the state Legislative Assembly on the first day of the budget session after Congress MLAs caused disruption by raising anti-BJP slogans over various issues.

    “We see certain incidents happening in Parliament – both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

    There are certain things happening under various legislatures.

    Certain incidents are happening during the Governors’ address and also the violence that is taking place in certain institutions, this should be totally avoided because it will weaken democracy…people will get disillusioned,” Naidu said.

    He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating Durbar Hall at the Raj Bhavan in the presence of state Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, Union minister Shripad Naik, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and others.

    Parliament is supreme and we should respect all these institutions, he added.

    “In a democracy, if you don’t like the address, you can criticize after the address is over. If you don’t like the budget, you can criticise it. If you don’t like the government you should have patience, you can educate and agitate peacefully and wait for the election. You must have the patience to respect the mandate of the people,” Naidu said.

    “This should be borne in mind by all political parties. Violence, physical violence should be totally avoided,” he added.

    The vice president also said that amid the expansionist ideas and violence created by conflicts in the world, India must dedicate itself to universal peace as it is a prerequisite for progress.

    “We are seeing what is happening around the globe. These expansionist ideas and violence created by conflicts that are occurring around the globe and the misery happening with the people of that region, we must dedicate ourselves to the universal peace because peace is a prerequisite for progress,” he said.

    “We are all proud of our civilization. India was once the ‘vishwa guru’ (mentor of the world) for all its resources. We never attacked any other country because we don’t believe in expansionism. We believe in all-inclusiveness. The world is one family…share and care… Everybody must remember this,” Naidu added.

    After the Independence, India has to its credit a number of achievements.

    But we also have great challenges like poverty, disparity and social discrimination in certain areas and gender discrimination in certain areas, he said.

    “We must seriously understand, introspect and work towards eradicating these challenges in bridging urban-rural divide and uplifting poorest of the poor. Empowering women and totally eradicating gender violence. Whichever party it is, all people should focus and give importance to these aspects,” he said.

    Everyone should see to it that dignity, standards, morals and ethics are maintained in public life, he added.

  • Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu calls for reducing rural and urban India divide

    By Express News Service

    NELLORE: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday participated in the 20th anniversary celebration of Swarna Bharat Trust, at Venkatachalam in Nellore district.  

    Speaking on the occasion, the V-P said ‘seva’ (service) is the real religion, and stressed the need for reducing the divide between rural and urban areas. “Agriculture is the basic culture of our country. We need to focus more on it. The future of the country is the youth and we need to nurture them. And empowerment of women is also vital,” he added.

    Referring to the Padma awards, the V-P said that a new tradition has been set in recognising the real talent and grass-root level people who impacted the society. He opined that parents must encourage their children to get involved in service activities as it will help in the development of the society. 

    Shah said the service activities taken up by the Trust, which was inspired by the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Nanaji Deskhmukh, are highly appreciable as they have given hope to many.  The Trust has been continuing its services without any financial support from the government, Shah noted and added it has inspired many citizens. 

    The Union Minister opined that the building of ‘nav Bharat’ (new India) will only speed up when one individual from every village involves in development activities. Shah observed that the V-P, who hails from rural India and has spent decades in public service, is well aware of the issues that rural population faces.

    He took note of the initiatives introduced by Venkaiah Naidu when the latter was the Union Minister for Rural Development. “His ideology reflects in the service activities taken up by the Trust,” he added and appealed to the trustees to continue their work to uplift the downtrodden. 

    Former Minister and Trust chairman Kamineni Srinivas and others attended the event. Earlier, Shah visited Soma Skill Development Centre at Akshara Vidyalaya, and paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

  • Vice-President Naidu’s granddaughter gives Rs 50 lakh for treatment of kids by cutting wedding cost

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: On Children’s Day, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s granddaughter Sushma contributed Rs 50 lakh for the treatment of children with heart ailments belonging to weaker sections of the society by cutting down on her wedding expenditure, sources said.

    Set to be married next month, she had vowed to cut on her marriage expenditure so that her grandparents and parents could contribute Rs 50 lakh for the cause, they said.

    A cheque of Rs 50 lakh was given to Hyderabad-based ‘Hrudaya – Cure a Little Heart Foundation’ in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

    Shah was the chief guest at the 20th anniversary of Swarna Bharati Trust being run by Naidu’s daughter Deepa Venkat.

    The trust has been engaged in the empowerment of rural women and youth through vocational training, skill development etc.

    Amit Shah complimented the Sushma and her parents, Harshvardhan and Radha, for their noble gesture and the trust for its dedication to the cause of rural people.

  • COVID-19 pandemic not over yet, don’t take it for granted: Venkaiah Naidu

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and people should not take it for granted.

    The vice president was addressing a select gathering of Konkani and Marathi intellectuals and writers at Raj Bhavan in Goa in the presence of Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai.

    “In India, we are fortunate, hats off to our scientists, our medical fraternity, our policymakers, the Central and state governments and various institutions. We were able to fight back successfully and compared to many other western countries our performance was better,” Naidu said.

    “But the pandemic is not yet over. This is my caution to the people of my country. Don’t take it for granted,” he said.

    People must maintain honourable distance and follow hygienic advices given by the government and scientists from time to time, the vice president said.

    Washing hands, keeping oneself clean, keeping surroundings neat and clean are elementary things that everyone should follow and also remain physically fit, he said. Naidu further said that compared to people living in cities, those in rural areas are less affected. Physical activity has helped people in rural areas along with the native food that they eat, he added.

  • We need a cultural renaissance: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu

    By Express News Service

    HYDERABAD: Referring to ‘Sanathana Dharma’ as a way of life and not merely concerning a religion, Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu has appealed to people, irrespective of their caste, creed, language or culture, to live together with mutual respect and in the spirit of brotherhood by sharing and caring.

    Addressing the 17th Alai-Balai event hosted by Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at Jalavihar on Necklace Road on Sunday as the chief guest, Naidu said that there was a need to protect nature, agriculture, culture, arts, traditions, literature, traditional cuisines and ancient heritage passed to us by our ancestors if our civilisation was to flourish with a better future.

    Appreciating the efforts of Dattatreya for preserving and promoting the culture, music and folklore, local cuisine and the congenial spirit of Telangana by uniting people through the Alai-Balai annual event, he hoped that the event would bring about a cultural renaissance, which was the need of the hour. 

    Reminding people how traditional food habits were changing just as tastes and preferences changed under the influence of western culture, he felt that exercise and traditional eating habits could save our health in these times of a pandemic, which might be reaching its end soon.

    Dattatreya expressed happiness to see people from different ideologies and political parties attend the event. He hoped the Chief Ministers of AP and Telangana to come together to solve all problems affecting the people of their respective States.

    Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the special guest for the event, was given a grand welcome as his entrance was marked by local musical instruments being played and dances performed by tribal and local performers. People dressed as tigers, potharajus and oracle recreated the feel of Bonalu festivities.

    Better eating habits

    Reminding people how traditional food habits were changing under the influence of western culture, the VP felt traditional eating habits could save our health during the pandemic

  • Our leaders will routinely travel to Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state: India tells China

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday strongly rejected China’s objection to a recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, asserting that the state is an “integral and inalienable” part of India.

    External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India “does not stand to reason and understanding” of Indian people.

    “We have noted the comments made today by the Chinese official spokesperson. We reject such comments. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India,” Bagchi said.

    He was responding to a question on comments by a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry objecting to Naidu’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh over the weekend.

    “Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India. Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people,” Bagchi said.

    China has been objecting to visits of Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is a part of South Tibet.

    The fresh war of words between the two sides came three days after the 13th round of military talks on the 17-month eastern Ladakh standoff ended in a stalemate.

    “Further, as we have mentioned earlier, the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas has been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo in violation of the bilateral agreements,” Bagchi said.

    The government often refers to eastern Ladakh as Western Sector.

    “Therefore, we expect the Chinese side to work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols rather than trying to link unrelated issues,” Bagchi said.

    A day after the 13th round of military talks, Indian Army said the “constructive suggestions” made by it were neither agreeable to the Chinese side nor it could provide any “forward-looking” proposals.

    On its part, the Chinese PLA’s Western Theatre Command said India insisted on “unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding difficulties to the negotiations.”