"Amusing": Government Sources Counter Criticism Of Parliament Words Ban

The controversy over updates to a list of words deemed unfit for parliament, including additions like "corrupt" and "Jumlajeevi", drew a rejoinder from "government sources" on Thursday, citing similar moves in opposition-ruled states and other countries.

In a note titled "the bankrupt politics of the opposition" that was passed on to the media, "government sources" said, "Today the opposition has created a lot of hue and cry about the compilation of unparliamentary words in the parliament."

"But what is amusing is that they have tried to create a storm without knowing the facts. This list is brought out every year," it said.

"The list is not a new suggestion, but merely a compilation of words already expunged in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or state legislatures. It also contains a list of words considered unparliamentary in parliaments of Commonwealth countries," it added.

For example, it said, 'abused' was considered unparliamentary in Australia's House of Representatives, 'childishness' was considered unparliamentary in Quebec's National Assembly, and 'lollipops in the budget' was expunged from Punjab Assembly.

'You have reached here telling a lie' was expunged from Punjab Assembly, 'Ant-Shant' (rubbish) and 'Aksham' (incapable) were expunged from Chhattisgarh Assembly, 'anpadh' (illiterate), 'anargal' (unrestrained) were expunged from the Rajasthan Assembly, the note said.

"Most of these words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA government. The booklet is a mere compilation of the words, not suggestions or order," government sources said.

The opposition on Thursday had lashed out at a move by the Lok Sabha secretariat to announce additions to the list of words considered "unparliamentary" for both houses, saying it will impede their ability to critique the government.

The booklet, that comes ahead of the Monsoon session beginning Monday, says words like 'baal buddhi', 'vinash purush', and 'Snoopgate' along with everyday expressions like 'dictatorial', 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' would be expunged if used during debates or otherwise.

The move sparked outrage in the opposition, with Trinamool's Derek O'Brien throwing an open challenge, saying he would continue to use the words.

The Lok Sabha secretariat's booklet added that the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Lok Sabha Speaker will have the last word in expunging words and expressions and included a caveat that some words may not be deemed unparliamentary unless read in conjunction with the other expressions spoken during the parliamentary proceedings.