Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla: Sanctity of House is linked to members’ conduct

PATNA: Expressing his serious concern over “falling dignity and prestige of legislative bodies”, decrease in the number of sittings in the legislative houses as well as lack of discussion on policy matters, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said all stakeholders should collectively ponder to find a solution to these issues.
Addressing the inaugural session of a daylong orientation programme for members of both Houses of Bihar legislature at central hall of the state assembly, Birla said, “We have a multi-party parliamentary democracy.The government will come and go. Each political party should work in the direction of strengthening and empowering the country’s democratic institutions.”
More than 300 members of Bihar legislative assembly and state legislative council attended the orientation programme.
Birla added in order to make the Parliament and the legislatures effective, it is necessary that the people’s representatives are sensitive to the problems of the people and work towards fulfilling their hopes and aspirations through legislative means.
Strongly emphasising on dignity and decorum of the legislative bodies, Birla said in democracy, sanctity of a House is linked to conduct of its members. Therefore, it is the collective responsibility of the members to maintain its sanctity.
The Lok Sabha Speaker added the House was meant for debate and dialogue and not for planned disruption. Expressing concern over sloganeering and use of placards in the wells of the legislative Houses, he said time has come for all legislatures and political parties to collectively find a solution to this.
Observing that people’s representatives should maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct, Birla added every step of an elected representative should be in the direction of probity and transparency. “They should maintain the highest standards of conduct in public and private lives. Their conduct should be such that it raises the prestige of the respective legislative body, inspires the society and sets an example for others,” the Speaker said adding, “Discipline and decency should be the ornaments of public representatives.”
On the roles and responsibilities of the legislators, Birla said as the bridge between the public and the government, their primary responsibility is to find solutions to people’s problems. “They should ensure that the trust of the people in democracy is strengthened. People’s representatives should ensure that hopes and aspirations of people are fulfilled and welfare programmes reach the last person in the row so that positive socio-economic transformation takes place in the society. Today, when we are celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava’, we need to rededicate ourselves to strengthen our country and democracy,” he said.
Referring to the Digital Sansad App of the Lok Sabha, Birla called upon the legislatures of all the states to work in the direction of sharing all debates and proceedings on the app. He said the Lok Sabha is working in a mission mode so that the information of all state legislatures could be brought on one platform.
Birla also launched Bihar Vidhan Sabha Digital TV and Bihar Vidhan Sabha Patrika. He also unveiled a replica of Shatabdi Smriti Stambh of Bihar Vidhan Sabha Bhawan and planted a Bodhi sapling on the premises of the state assembly.
The orientation programme was organised by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies of the Lok Sabha secretariat in coordination with Bihar legislative assembly secretariat. It was also addressed by CM Nitish Kumar, Bihar speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, both deputy CMs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, state’s parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, leader of opposition in state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Lok Sabha’s secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh.