New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Wednesday asked members to "introspect" over the state of affairs in the house, as it was adjourned sine die at the end of its 237th session.

In his valedictory address, the chairman asked members to "desist from approaches and practices that demean the stature of the Rajya Sabha, and also urged them to "make the fullest possible use of the instrumentalities of accountability and discussion available to them under the Rules of Procedure".

"The interruptions in the functioning of the house, though not of recent origin and sought to be justified by spacious logic by different sections of the house at different times to suit their tactics of the moment, continue to result in loss of working time and neglect of listed business," Ansari said.

"It denies to the members opportunities to seek accountability of the executive through questions, Zero Hour issues, and discussions and debates on issues of public interest and concern. It also reduces or eliminates the opportunities to scrutinise sufficiently legislative proposals," he added.