Incidents compromising dignity of the House call for tough measures: Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated an orientation programme for members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly at the Assembly premises in Bhopal today.

Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Mohan Yadav; Speaker, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and several other dignitaries graced the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Birla highlighted with concern the continuous decline in discipline and decorum in legislative bodies. Underscoring the importance of the legislature as a forum for serious debates, Birla noted that it is natural for some degree of disagreement, noise and uproar on the floors of the House, but often heated debates lead to disorder and chaos in the House, leading to loss of time and resources, which only reduces the credibility of legislatures among the people.

Mentioning that planned disruption is detrimental to the spirit of democracy, Birla asserted that when every sincere effort is made for active participation of Members' in House proceedings, incidents of compromising the dignity of the House call for tough measures. Differences of opinion should not be translated into obstructing Business of the House, stressed Birla.

Birla opined that it is an important responsibility for every legislator to ensure that legislative time is used with the utmost discipline and commitment and for meaningful and productive debates.

Expressing unhappiness, Birla said that in the last few years, the number of sittings as well as productivity of Legislatures has decreased, on account of increasing incidents of House adjournments due to disruption and commotion. He hoped that Legislatures as vibrant forum of constructive, meaningful and deep discussion and dialogue would utilize every minute of the House for welfare of the public.

Continuous state of chaos and disruption in the Parliament and legislatures, render these institutions dysfunctional, leaving them unable to solve the issues of the people, said Birla.

Mentioning that there are two basic requirements to maintain the dignity of Parliament - the integrity of the system itself and the integrity of the people who run it, Birla noted that the impact of the lack of discipline and decency in legislatures and disruptive and unruly behaviour of Members reduce the dignity of Legislatures which has negative impacts on democracy.

He added that hindering the functioning of legislatures and tarnishing their image is tantamount to endangering the future of the democratic system.

Mentioning that every public representative is a custodian of the hopes and aspirations of the nation, Birla observed that the public places a lot of trust on public representatives for a safe, secure and improved future for themselves.

He urged the public representatives to raise the peoples' demands and expectations in a constructive, manner and with full enthusiasm and not through disruption or by holding dharna or Satyagraha in the House.

Conduct in the legislatures should always be of high quality, disciplined and marked by decency, which requires serious efforts by all stakeholders, stressed Birla.

Birla noted that the mandate given to the newly elected MLAs by the people of Madhya Pradesh entrusts them with the responsibility to strive for the socio-economic progress of the people, especially women and weaker sections. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the MLAs to fulfil their aspirations, expectations and to turn their dreams into reality.

Birla mentioned that to do full justice to their role as legislators and public representatives, they must have good knowledge of the rules and procedures of the House. Proper understanding of the rules will make them an effective legislator, noted Birla. Mentioning the initiatives in the direction of making Parliament paperless, Birla noted with satisfaction that the Indian Parliament is leading the world in digitization.

Birla thanked Narendra Singh Tomar, Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for organizing the Orientation programme. He expressed hope that all the Members of the Assembly, particularly the 69 first time elected Members who constitute 30 per cent of the Assembly strength will benefit from the programme.

On this occasion, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Mohan Yadav welcomed Birla and said that Birla's initiatives for the Orientation of newly elected MLAs would be beneficial for public representatives, who are often directly responsible for resolving the issues of the people. Dr. Yadav recalled that the great sage Panini established the importance of training by dedicating himself to gaining knowledge and learning for life.

Referring to the temple of Indian democracy, the Parliament of India, Dr. Yadav commended Birla's outstanding conduct of the Lok Sabha and noted that many public representatives can learn a lot from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's deep understanding of issues and his commitment to public wellbeing.

Birla and his ideal conduct are inspiration for public representatives, noted Dr. Yadav. Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Parliament upon becoming the Prime Minister of the country, Dr. Yadav said that PM Modi's gesture of paying respect to Parliament by bowing to it will forever continue to inspire public representatives to selflessly work for the people and nation.

Welcoming Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Narendra Singh Tomar hailed him as an ideal Presiding Officer, who serves as an inspiration for public representatives from across the nation. Tomar called on the newly elected Members to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to public service and to familiarise themselves with all necessary rules, regulations and procedures that will help them fulfil their responsibilities as MLAs to the best of their abilities.

Tomar added that if MLAs are intimately familiar with all the requisite rules and procedures, they will be able to address the issues of their constituents and the larger public with effectiveness. He also noted that MLAs must give due importance to House proceedings and attend all sessions with complete dedication.

Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Umang Singhar also spoke on this occasion. Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the Government of Madhya Pradesh Kailash Vijayvargiya proposed the vote of Thanks. Secretary-General, Lok Sabha Utpal Kumar Singh also attended the programme.

The Orientation Programme for the Members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislature is being organised by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), Lok Sabha Secretariat, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat. (ANI)