Speaker Om Birla asks parties to ensure discipline in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Speaker Om Birla on Sunday shot off letters to floor leaders in Lok Sabha calling for "serious reflection and analysis" on some MPs "undermining the dignity and prestige" of India's Parliamentary democracy through the "kind of words being used and the conduct and behaviour".

His letters come close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi writing to him for his “patience, restraint, and impartiality” and heralding a “new political culture” while expressing concern that “certain individuals, driven by a dynastic and feudal mindset” seek to confine democratic institutions within their limited spheres and are not ready to accept new leadership. 

The Prime Minister's letter followed by Birla's missive also came days after the Lok Sabha defeated an Opposition-sponsored resolution seeking to remove the latter as Speaker.

In his letter to leaders of all parties in Lok Sabha, Birla said certain members have been undermining the "dignity and prestige" of  the country's Parliamentary democracy both inside the House and within the Parliament complex for some time now, 

"The manner in which banners, placards, and boards are being displayed inside the House and within the Parliament premises, the kind of words being used, and the conduct and behaviour being exhibited have become a matter of deep concern for all of us. This situation calls for serious reflection and analysis, both individually and collectively," he said.

Emphasising that Lok Sabha has always maintained a "glorious tradition of dignified discussion and dialogue", he said whenever a decline in the standard of conduct within the House was felt in the past, conferences were organised by all parties and other stakeholders where discussions were held on preserving and promoting the dignity and prestige of our democratic institutions. 

He said the issue has been discussed in the Conferences of Presiding Officers and resolutions have been passed as also he too has on several occasions during meetings of the Business Advisory Committee and meetings with leaders of political parties have urged for the maintenance of high standards of conduct and behavior."

Warning that the entire country observes MPs' conduct and the message from India’s Parliament resonates across all democratic institutions in the country, he said the time has come for them to engage in "serious reflection and soul-searching" to uphold the high dignity and prestige of our democratic institutions. 

"In particular, the top leadership of all political parties and the leaders of all parties in the House must make special efforts to ensure discipline and high moral conduct and behavior among their respective members within the chamber and the Parliament House complex. If we all strive together in this direction, the public's faith in parliamentary democracy will surely be further strengthened, and the prestige and dignity of the House will continue to grow," he said.