Follow Lakshman Rekha: RS Chairman in 1st speech

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who presided over the Rajya Sabha as its chairman for the first time on the inaugural day of the winter session of Parliament on Monday assured that voices of all stakeholders would be heard in the House and urged the members to follow parliamentary norms while adhering tothe “Lakshman Rekha’ as envisaged in the Constitution and House rules.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Zia Haq

“We all should understand our responsibilities towards the nation. The Constitution of India, along with the rule books of the Rajya Sabha, determines the Lakshman Rekha for parliamentary discourse. Every individual member's rights must be ensured, but within the Lakshman Rekha, asI mentioned. I will always domy best to protect all your rightful claims,” Radhakrishnan said.

He called upon all members to “commit ourselves to ensuring that our actions inside this House reflect the aspirations of every farmer, every worker, every street vendor, every woman and youth and the poorest of the poor who look at Parliament with a lot of hope”.