Legislature's Dignity Can't Be Hurt: Speaker Om Birla On MPs' Suspension

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said no presiding officer likes to suspend legislators, but the dignity of a legislature cannot be compromised.

Replying to a question about the suspension of more than 140 opposition MPs from both Houses during the recently-concluded session of Parliament, he also said that a new "tradition" has emerged where someone announces in advance that the legislature will not be allowed to function.

Mr Birla was talking to reporters after inaugurating the two-day 'Prabodhan' programme, an orientation session for the newly-elected members of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

"No presiding officer ever wants to suspend (members) but the dignity of the legislature cannot be compromised. We try to maintain the dignity of the House," he said.

In a democracy, when members violate the dignity and decorum of the legislature, it does not send out a good message, Mr Birla added.

Every member gets a chance to discuss every issue as per the rules and procedure, which also yields a better outcome, he said.

To another question, Mr Birla said in 2001 there was a very serious discussion on the issue of disruptions among assembly speakers of all the states and leaders of political parties, and everyone was concerned about maintaining the dignity and prestige of legislatures in the country.

"Everyone believes that the conduct of members in a legislature should be dignified. There should be a decorum. A legislature is for discussion and dialogue. There can be consent and disagreement, but the dignity of the House should not be diminished," he said.

"A new tradition has started (where it is announced in advance) that the assembly or Lok Sabha will not be allowed to function today. The Lok Sabha or assemblies not running in a planned manner is not a good tradition for a democracy," Mr Birla added.

First-time MLAs too can perform well, he said, adding that Narendra Modi became the chief minister of a state for the first time, an MP for the first time and became the country's prime minister, and he was successful all through.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the orientation programme, Mr Birla expressed concern over the decline in discipline and decorum in legislative bodies.

Some degree of disagreement, noise and uproar is natural, but often heated debates lead to disorder and chaos, causing loss of time and resources which only reduces the credibility of legislatures among the people, he said.

A planned disruption is detrimental to the spirit of democracy, the Speaker said, and asserted that incidents which compromise the dignity of a legislature call for tough measures.

Difference of opinion should not translate into obstruction of the business of the House, he said.

Every legislator has the responsibility to ensure that legislative time is used with utmost discipline and commitment for meaningful and productive debates, the Speaker said.

In the last few years, the number of sittings as well as productivity of legislatures have decreased on account of increase in the number of adjournments due to disruption and commotion, he said.

A continuous state of chaos and disruption render these institutions dysfunctional, leaving them unable to solve the issues of the people, Birla said.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Mr Birla's initiative of organising orientation sessions of newly-elected MLAs would be beneficial for public representatives who are often directly responsible for solving the issues of the people.

Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said Birla was an ideal presiding officer who serves as an inspiration for public representatives from across the country.

Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar also spoke on the occasion.

The orientation program was organised by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), Lok Sabha Secretariat in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)