Opposition drafts 'protest letter' to RS Chairman Venkaiah Naidu: Reports

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The Opposition is drafting a "protest letter" to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu over his handling of proceedings, media reports suggest.

This is the first time that such a letter is being sent to Naidu. The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have agreed to the move, NDTV reports.

"Some more parties are expected to join in," a senior opposition leader told NDTV.

Opposition parties are upset because the Vice President has not allowed them to speak in the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition has even accused Naidu of being partisan by favouring the ruling BJP.

Rajya Sabha proceedings have been disrupted this week over the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Congress, TMC and other Opposition members expressed anger over BJP President Amit Shah’s remarks on the NRC.

In the letter, the Opposition has accused Naidu of "not allowing any space for debate, favouring ruling party members and adjourning the house according to his whims and fancies", News 18 reports.

The Opposition has also noted the suspicious manner in which replies to questions on demonetization were deleted from the Rajya Sabha website, according to NDTV.

On Wednesday, Naidu had asked Amit Shah to conclude the previous day’s address, causing a ruckus in Rajya Sabha. The Opposition wondered why Naidu let Shah continue speaking instead of directly letting Home Minister Rajnath Singh address the House.