Deeply distressed by the course of events in House: Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi, July 23 Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said he was "deeply distressed" by the happenings in the Rajya Sabha and added that the snatching and tearing of paper is a clear assault on democracy.

As the House proceedings began Naidu said, "I am deeply distressed by the course of events in the House. Unfortunately proceedings of the House hit a new low with papers being snatched and torn into pieces. Such actions are a clear assault on our Parliamentary democracy".

He was commenting on the Thursday incident when IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was reading a statement on the Pegasus snooping row and Trinamool Congress MPs snatched the report from his hands and tore it into pieces on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.

Journalist-turned-MP Swapan Dasgupta said: "Some of the TMC MPs took the paper from the hands of the Minister and tore it. This is unacceptable."