Birla urges parties to 'change past practices' of House disruption ahead of Monsoon session

Manesar: With just three weeks left for the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday urged all parties to shun disruption of House proceedings, as it is time to "change past practices".

Inaugurating the National Level Conference of Urban Local Bodies here, Birla also said these local bodies should function on the lines of Parliament with regular Question Hour and Zero Hour to raise issues concerning citizens and designing the budget after proper consultation at the grassroots.

"I am pained to hear about meetings of urban local bodies getting adjourned amid pandemonium and key agenda such as budget getting approved without any discussion. It is not a healthy tradition," Birla said.

Referring to Parliament, he said there has been some reduction in disruption of the House proceedings in the 18th Lok Sabha compared to the previous two Lok Sabhas.

He said the members used to get placards to disrupt the proceedings of the House. "The 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024) was no different, but change was visible in the 18th Lok Sabha. MPs started thinking that the House should be allowed to function so that issues of people could be raised effectively. All parties made efforts to ensure that the House functions properly," he said.

"It is a challenge (to ensure uninterrupted proceedings). It is time for change. If we have to strengthen democracy and hold democratic institutions accountable, we have to ensure that the Houses function in a proper manner... People would teach a lesson to political parties that resort to disruption of the House proceedings," he said.

"If we need to strengthen democracy, we need to conduct the House properly," he said, adding that all parties should make efforts to reduce disruptions in proceedings of the House. The Monsoon Session will start on July 21 and end on August 21.

Urging urban local bodies to adopt similar practices as the Lok Sabha and assemblies of having the Question Hour and Zero Hour in their functioning, he asked, "why can't we make efforts to have day-long sittings of urban local bodies? Let the meeting continue for eight hours. It can have Question Hour, Zero Hour. Issues can be discussed and accountability can be fixed to ensure transparency."

He also said Lok Sabha and state Assemblies will have more women following the implementation of 33% reservation for women and there is a need to encourage women leaders in urban local bodies as it is from such institutions that a new national leadership will emerge.

Emphasising that the role of urban bodies is most important in taking democracy to its roots, he said urban bodies will have to shoulder new responsibilities in the creation of a developed India.

"We have to convert every urban issue into a mass movement. Just like the Clean India Movement, public participation is necessary in every subject.

He said national leaders have emerged from local self governments and referred to the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was once the chairman of the Ahmedabad municipal body in 1922.