Addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the two day fifth India Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference which she chaired, Mahajan said that positive and occasional interruptions do have a space, albeit within the settled norms of Parliamentary democracy.
“Frequent disruptions of legislative proceedings tend to negate the very credibility of the representatives bodies and elected representatives. At times, corrective measures or action have to be taken to check motivated interruptions of proceedings of the House,” Mahajan said.
“As the Assembly or Parliamentary sessions get interrupted, the sole objective or purpose of holding such sessions remains unfulfilled,” she said, adding that the legislators now have multifarious roles to perform and they need to live up to the present day expectations of the people whom they represent.
“The very secrecy of the oath stands violated,” she said.
Mahajan also said that it is the duty of the Speaker to ensure that the business of the House is conducted without any interruption and that each member takes active part in the discussion.
The Speaker said that the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, during his lecture, pointed out to the deteriorating situation with regards to functioning of legislative bodies which can be attributed to reducing numbers of sittings and ineffective functioning of legislature owing to unruly scenes and thin attendance.
“Even I feel that the sitting of the House should not be less than 100 days annually,” Mahajan observed congratulating the Goa government for their efforts to have at least one month long session for the year.
The conference that deliberated in detail on the theme of ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy’ saw participation from 22 states, with 16 Speakers and eight deputy speakers as delegates.
