Uproar, sloganeering, adjournment of house in planned manner not good signs for democracy: LS Speaker Om Birla

Birla was speaking at the National Legislators' Conference Bharat (NLC Bharat), being held at the Jio Convention Centre at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Noting that the "recent incidents of commotion and interruptions" in the Houses are a matter of grave concern, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday said that uproar, sloganeering and adjournment of the House in a "planned manner" are not good signs for our democracy as it diminish the dignity of democracy itself.

Referring to the role of legislative bodies in ensuring socio-economic welfare of the people, the Speaker emphasized that the functioning of our legislative bodies should be conducted in a dignified manner.

Birla was speaking at the first-ever National Legislators' Conference Bharat (NLC Bharat) being held at the Jio Convention Centre at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Former Lok Sabha Speakers Shivraj Patil, Meira Kumar and Sumitra Mahajan, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Presiding Officers of State Legislative Assemblies, and Councils, MPs, MLAs and MLCs were present in the conference attended by over 2,000 delegates.

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“Democracy comes naturally to Indians and is imbibed in our conduct, thoughts and behavior and it was a natural progression that Independent India opted for parliamentary democracy as our system of governance,” said Birla.

Referring to the role of legislative bodies in ensuring socio-economic welfare of the people, the Speaker emphasized that the functioning of our legislative bodies should be conducted in a dignified manner.

Birla expressed the view that being the highest public representative institution, legislators are expected to work as a role model for other institutions and organizations of the country.

In this context, he opined that legislators should maintain high standards of discipline and decency in their public life as incidents of unruly behavior tarnish their image.

“Being the representatives of the people, they should always try to hold the executive accountable to the House and House to the people.,” he said.

“The role of the legislators is one of great responsibility as they are the crucial link between the citizen and the executive. As such, their sole responsibility is to effectively convey issues of the public interest, wishes, aspirations and needs of the populace to the executive," said Birla.

He emphasized that, in this perspective, it is crucial that discussions and dialogues in legislatures should be result-oriented to effectively address the concerns.

Elaborating on the role of the Constitution in shaping democracy in India, Birla added that as a legislator, one is expected to uphold the virtues of freedom, equality, and justice in accordance with the Constitution.

"Laws framed in the legislatures are the basis of all rights of the people. These very laws strengthened the country and the people and thus they needed to conscientiously work for strengthening them,” he said.