No MP enjoys privilege; would be forced to take action to maintain LS dignity: Birla
New Delhi (PTI): Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said Lok Sabha functions strictly according to rules and no member has the privilege to speak whenever he or she wishes and warned that if anyone behaves contrary to the decorum of the House, he would be compelled to take strict action to preserve its dignity.
A day after a resolution seeking his removal from office was defeated, Birla also said in Lok Sabha that members may personally agree or disagree with the decision of the Chair, but it remains his duty to enforce the rules, procedures and traditions of the House.
He said the Chair does not belong to any individual, it is a symbol of India’s democratic traditions, the spirit of the Constitution, and the prestige of this great institution.
The speaker said whether it is the Leader of the House (Prime Minister), the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), or any other member - they can speak only by following the procedures laid down in the rules of the House.
Thursday was the first time Birla came to the House to conduct the proceedings since the notice of no confidence was given against him by the opposition on February 10 during the first part of the Budget session, which ended on February 13. The second part of the session began on March 9.
Birla said MPs always must remember that disagreements and intense exchanges of ideas are natural in parliamentary debate but there is a clear line between democratic discourse and disorder.
"Waving placards, shouting slogans, tearing papers, or climbing on desks are contrary to our great parliamentary traditions. Such behaviour not only disrupts proceedings but also diminishes the prestige of the House," he said, adding whether there is praise or criticism, his resolve remains the same: to protect the dignity of the House and uphold its rules.
Referring to remarks by some members that the Leader of the Opposition (Rahul Gandhi) was disallowed to table a magazine article based on the unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane on the India-China conflict of 2020, Birla cited rulings by past speakers when members were not allowed to table documents by the Chair.
"From this sacred Chair, I wish to clarify that whether it is the Leader of the House (Prime Minister), the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), ministers, or any other member - all members can speak only by following the procedures laid down in the rules of the House," he said.
The speaker said some members believe that the LoP may rise at any time and speak on any subject of their choosing, they consider this to be a special privilege.
"Whenever the prime minister or any minister wishes to make a statement in the House, prior permission of the speaker is required. No member in this House possesses any privilege to speak outside the framework of these rules," he said and cited a few past examples when chair did not allow to lay photographs, government documents and quote letters in the House.
Therefore, he said, while MPs indeed enjoy freedom of speech in Parliament, it is subject to the rules and procedures approved by the House.
"I have always endeavoured to conduct the proceedings of the House with impartiality, discipline, balance, and in accordance with the rules. The primary responsibility of the speaker is to maintain harmony, order, and efficiency in the House while carrying everyone together. My constant effort has been to ensure that the dignity, decorum, and prestige of the House continue to grow," he said.
Birla said he has always maintained cordial personal relations with members across party lines and never wishes for any action to be taken against any member.
"Whenever certain members behave in a manner contrary to the decorum of the House, I am compelled to take strict decisions in order to preserve the dignity of this institution," he said.
He added that whenever disciplinary action becomes necessary to maintain order in the House, "it causes me deep sadness".
Referring to concerns expressed by some MPs during the two-day debate regarding respect for women MPs, Birla said he has always held the highest respect for all women members.
"My endeavour has always been to ensure that every woman member gets the opportunity to speak in the House. I take pride in the fact that during my tenure every woman MP, including first-time, has expressed her valuable views in this House," he said.
However, he said, when certain members crossed the Well of the House, approached the treasury benches raising slogans and displaying banners, an unexpected situation could have arisen.
"In order to prevent any such situation and maintain order, I requested the Leader of the House (Prime Minister) not to enter the chamber at that moment," he said, reiterating his February 5 statement in the House.
On February 5, Birla had said that he had concrete information that many Congress MPs could carry out an "unexpected act" by reaching the spot where Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits and therefore he asked him not to come to the House to deliver his reply to the debate on motion of thanks to the President's address.
He said he was grateful to the members of the House for reposing their faith in him during debate. He also thanked all those who spoke in favour of him as well as against him.
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Post poll TN alliances divided in supporting TVK
Chennai (PTI): In a changed political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu with no single political party having a simple majority to form the government post the Assembly election, opinion is divided among the allies led by the Dravidian majors in extending external support to Vijay-led TVK in government formation.
Both the DMK and AIADMK are at unease as the Congress and also a section in the AIADMK express willingness to extend external support to Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagtam in forming the government.
Post poll, the TVK's political prospects appear to impact alliances led by both the Dravidian majors in a different manner, triggering a speculation of a split.
Leema Rose Martin, who won from Lalgudi on an AIADMK ticket, has stated that talks were underway on extending support to the TVK. Her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Villivakkam is TVK's general secretary.
On May 5, former AIADMK minister O S Manian, emerging from his meeting with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, stated that AIADMK would not support TVK in forming the government.
The AIADMK, which finished third in the elections with 47 seats has cancelled its meeting of MLAs designate on Wednesday amidst a difference in extending external support to the TVK, which won 108 seats, including two seats by its founder Vijay.
As Vijay is gearing up for his swearing-in on May 7, the police have tightened security at his residence here. The party has lodged its MLA-elect at a resort in Mamallapuram and has simultaneously engaged in talks with the Congress and AIADMK, a source said.
The DMK that won 59 seats on its own, has convened a meeting of its newly elected legislators on May 7 evening and the party is likely to elect the youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni as its legislature party leader.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal admitted that TVK chief Vijay requested the Congress for support to form the government.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government, committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to allow the BJP and its proxies to run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner. Thiru Vijay has also spoken about drawing inspiration from Perunthalaivar Kamaraj," he said.
Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Vijay’s request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state as reflected in the electoral verdict, Venugopal said in a statement.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai slammed the Congress decision and said the move to ally with TVK, pledging the support of its five MLAs to the party, was tantamount to "backstabbing the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu."
"They have betrayed the mandate given by the people. Even before the ink on the returning officer’s signature on the victory certificate has dried, they have chosen to go ahead with this alliance," he told PTI.
The most important question was who took this "foolhardy decision, and how is it going to backfire on the Congress?" he asked.
"I don’t think they had any serious deliberation on this. The larger issue is their opposition to the BJP, which is their ideological enemy. We have supported the Congress throughout. It was our leader M K Stalin, who named Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate when the BJP and RSS were criticising him. And now, within a day, they say they are supporting TVK. This is not the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Saravanan said.
The Congress' exit from its long-standing alliance with the DMK will be a significant moment in the political scenario of the state, commentator and political analyst Sumanth Raman said.
The Congress may be betting on the TVK as a long-term partner option, but that comes with risks, as the TVK is as yet an unknown quantity, he said.
"For the DMK, if the TVK+Congress becomes the choice of the minorities as it well could, it is an existential threat. It was the minority vote that gave the DMK alliance a 12%-15% cushion in the polls. If that goes, their chances of winning drops dramatically," Raman said on 'X.'
The Congress won 5 seats. However, DMK's other allies, the IUML, VCK, CPI and CPI (M) and DMDK have categorically stated that they would not support TVK.
As of now, the TVK requires the support of 11 MLAs to attain a simple majority of 118 to form the government.
The PMK, which won 4 seats and AMMK one - both allies of AIADMK - have not announced their decision yet.
"AIADMK’s real post-result drama may not be outside the party, but inside it. Whispers from the west and north suggest that a Coimbatore hand and a Villupuram voice may soon ask the question everyone is avoiding: Is it time to save the party from the leadership, before the cadre are forced to do it themselves? In politics, coups don’t begin with slogans. They begin with silence, phone calls and “review meetings,” Aspire Swaminathan, who is credited with founding the AIADMK IT wing in 2014, said on 'X.'
He has resigned from the AIADMK in 2021 and now acts an as independent political analyst.
