By IANS,
New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee Wednesday expressed anguish that disruptions had become a routine part of parliamentary proceedings and said that it lowered the image of the house.
“It is unfortunate that it (disruption) has become a part of the parliament functioning,” Chatterjee said.
Chatterjee was speaking on the ‘Standards of Conduct and Parliamentary Ethics’ at the Delhi legislative assembly.
On the disruption of Question Hour, the former speaker said it was the “sacred duty” of the members not to “barter” away this privilege, which according to him enables people’s representatives to hold the executive accountable for its actions and inactions.
Chatterjee stressed that it was important for the members to “unconditionally” respect the rulings of the chair as they had bestowed on him the responsibility to run the house.
At the event attended among others by Delhi Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri, the former parliamentarian said money power had begun to intervene directly with the functioning of the country’s core democratic institutions.
“Unfortunately, today we have a fractured polity in the country which is governed by confrontational politics. We are now overtaken by intolerance, divisiveness, corruption, conflict and disrespect for democratic dissent,” Chatterjee said.
About the entry of criminals into politics, he said: “The violent behaviour we see in our legislative bodies is the result of not only the entry of people with questionable background into politics but sections of political leadership taking recourse to questionable methods.”
Chatterjee also advised the city legislators to imbibe the spirit of selfless service and serve the people with utmost ability, dedication, sincerity and honesty.