Praise, 'counter-praise': Venkaiah Naidu hails 'cooperation' of MPs

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, known for his witty one-liners, is keen to be seen as a chair who means business. In sharp contrast to the noisy start to the Winter Session, the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday set a record after 15 years by taking up all the 15 listed starred questions during the Question Hour, while 18 members spoke on issues of public importance during the Zero Hour. This was made possible as 10 of 20 members in whose names questions were listed were absent from the House, but the Chairman allowed many members to ask supplementary questions.

When some members complimented him for smooth conduct of business, Naidu returned the compliment saying, “Your cooperation is good, so my operation was very smooth... that’s why the House was able to set this record.”