Nirendra Dev
The Speaker hinted at making new and 'stringent' laws to enforce discipline among members.
New Delhi: The productivity of the Lok Sabha stood at a modest 22 per cent only in the just-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, Speaker Om Birla said here on Wednesday (August 11).
Pitching for 'Sahmat' in the running of House proceedings, Mr Birla told reporters shortly after adjourning the House sine die that displaying banners, raising slogans and storming into the well cannot be "part of our parliamentary Maryada."
The Speaker hinted at making new and 'stringent' laws to enforce discipline among members.
"We will call a meeting of all parties to review the existing parliamentary rules. We need to review the existing rules," Mr Birla said, adding, there is a need to re-frame them and make them stringent.
Mr Birla also said, most of the presiding officers (Speakers) in state legislatures do not approve of carrying placards, trooping into the well and shouting slogans.
The proceedings have been cut short after Tuesday's unprecedented unruly scenes in Rajya Sabha. A Congress member Pratap Singh Bajwa jumped into the House Table and hurled papers at the Chair.
The video footage tweeted by some members showed several other opposition parties were seen clapping and dancing in front of the Chair.
“On Wednesday, Bajwa remained defiant and said when he hurled the papers and rule book towards the Chair, there was no one sitting there as the House was already adjourned. "Mujhe kisi baat ka khed nahi hae (I have no regrets)," he told reporters, adding he could do the same thing "hundred times" in support of farmers. ”
The session was supposed to continue until August 13.
The Lok Sabha Speaker said: "We will make more efforts to ensure that rules are followed and decorum maintained."
Answering questions, he said: “Ahead of every session, I hold a conversation with Opposition members and parties. The procedure was followed this time also. We will try to make more efforts. The media should also help.”
Mr Birla said ‘sahmati’, ‘samvad’, and ‘charcha’ (cooperation, dialogue and discussions) are vital to Parliamentary proceedings, and the onus is on all members and parties to uphold them.
"I tried my best to run the house smoothly and give equal opportunity to all members, but the house productivity was very poor during this session, unlike the previous sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha," Birla said.
He also said several rounds of meetings took place, and effort was made to reach a consensus, but it could not happen on some issues.
“"We should expect that the House will be allowed to run smoothly in future as people of the country have a lot of expectations from Parliament," Mr Birla said.”
Opposition protests over the Pegasus snooping row has been affecting the smooth functioning of Parliament right from day one of the Monsoon session on July 19.
Earlier, as soon as the Rajya Sabha assembled in the morning 1100 hours to begin the day's business after the gory episode of Tuesday, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu broke down while reading out a prepared statement condemning what he called "sacrilege" and violation of the "temple of democracy" by the opposition.
"I have no words to convey my anguish and to condemn such acts as I spent a sleepless night….. last night, he said in a choked voice.
The ruling dispensation and floor managers have pressed for initiating strict actions against the MPs. There are chances that the matters may be referred to the Ethics Committee.
Mr Naidu, who is also the country's Vice President, said: "I am distressed by the way the way the sacredness was destroyed yesterday. When some members sat on the table, some members climbed on the table of the house, perhaps to be more visible with such acts of sacrilege."
However, the Upper House later took up the OBC Quota Bill of the 127th Constitution Amendment Bill, which Lok Sabha passed after a three-hour-long debate on Tuesday.
The Bill is a caste-sensitive draft law, and states will be empowered to prepare an OBC List of their own.
After this Bill is passed by both the Houses and Presidential assent is given, all state governments will get power to ensure Quota for Marathas in Maharashtra, Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana and Lingayats in Karnataka.
