Time to change new trend of obstructing House proceedings in planned manner: Om Birla

Birla said the capacity building of members should be taken seriously by the legislatures through regular training programmes on rules, legislative tools and the use of technology.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said there is a new trend of obstructing the proceedings in the House in a planned way and the time has come to change it. Addressing the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC), Birla said there is enough space to give voice to dissent in a democratic system and, therefore, disruption should not be used as a tool of protest and dissent.

"There is a new trend of obstructing the proceedings of the House in a planned way. Time has come to change this," he said, noting that state legislatures, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha are places for discussion and dialogue. The agenda of the 84th AIPOC is to strengthen people’s trust in democratic institutions – the need to maintain discipline and decorum in Parliament and the legislatures of States and UTs; and how to make the committee system more purposeful and effective.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the AIPOC through a video message, while 26 presiding officers took part in the inaugural session. Expressing concern over incidents of indiscipline, disruption of proceedings and unparliamentary conduct in the legislatures affecting their credibility, Birla said there should be a model Vidhan Sabha, where there is no obstruction, to inspire other state legislatures, Birla said.

A concrete and definite action plan, including changes in rules if necessary, should be prepared to ensure legislatures function sans disruptions, the Lok Sabha speaker suggested. He also said new and innovative methods of working should be promoted in legislatures so that democratic institutions can better perform their responsibility of monitoring the executive, and people’s faith in these institutions will increase. The good work being done by the state legislatures in socio-economic fields should be discussed in the House and best practices may be shared as such measures will enhance the credibility of both legislatures and elected representatives among the public, Birla said.

Emphasising the need for the use of technology in legislative works, Birla said public representatives should be proficient in technology and use it to connect with citizens. Birla said parliamentary committees play a vital role in shaping laws and policies in the present perspective. "Parliamentary committees are actually 'mini parliaments' and they review laws, policies and programmes on behalf of the Parliament and make them more useful to the public," he pointed out.

Birla said the capacity building of members should be taken seriously by the legislatures through regular training programmes on rules, legislative tools and the use of technology. He also urged state legislatures to digitise debates in a time-bound manner to ensure the 'One Nation, One Legislative Platform' can be a reality soon.