The Vice President of India and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu has sought the support of all political parties for smooth functioning of the House.At a luncheon meet, Shri Naidu hosted at his residence to the Floor Leaders in Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the session, here today, he called upon them to accord top priority for fulfilling people’s aspirations.Stressing the need for all members to always uphold the dignity and decorum of the House and adopt the best parliamentary practices and traditions, he said Rajya Sabha must act as a role model to all legislatures in the country.Referring to the recent elections and the mandate given by the people, the Vice President said the time has come for all parties to keep aside their political differences and strive for building a New India.Shri Naidu said that the Government, opposition and representatives of all parties must have a healthy dialogue on important issues including passage of bills.
The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh, the Leader of the House, Shri Thawarchand Gehlot, the Leader of the Opposition, Shri Gulam Nabi Azad, the Minister for Defence, Shri Rajnath Singh, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Prahlad Joshi, the Union Minister for Railways, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, and the Minister of State for Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale were present. The floor leaders who attended the luncheon include, Shri A. Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK), Shri Derek O'Brien, (AITC), Shri Prasanna Acharya, (BJD), Shri R.C.P. Singh, (JD-U), Shri Y.S. Chowdary (TDP), Dr. K. Keshava Rao (TRS), Shri T.K. Rangarajan (CPM), Shri Prem Chand Gupta, (RJD), Shri Tiruchi Shiva, (DMK), Shri Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), Shri Ram Kumar Kashyap, INLD, Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, (SAD), Shri Sanjay Singh, (AAP), Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy, (YSRCP) and Shri D. Raja (CPI).