Coordinated and “designed” disruptions lower the dignity of the proceedings of the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday while inaugurating a new building of the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Birla’s comment came amid the ongoing disruptions in Parliament over the Opposition’s demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the Manipur conflict.
Though the government has managed to push through a few Bills in the Lower House in the din, normal functioning of both the Houses has been paralysed over Opposition’s insistence that Mr. Modi first speak on the Manipur violence that has been going on for nearly three months now.
In an attempt to make the Prime Minister speak, the Opposition has now moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government.
“In the temple of democracy, there should be debates, discussions, dialogue and interactions on every serious issue. But there should not be any disruption or impasse in State Legislative Assemblies and Lok Sabha,” Mr. Birla said while addressing lawmakers in the new Assembly building in Guwahati.
“People have a lot of expectations from the State Assemblies and Lok Sabha. People send you here with lots of hope,” he said, adding that “this is my request”.
Mr. Birla inaugurated the new building of the Assam Legislative Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his predecessor and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary and Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, among others.
Established in 1937 in the erstwhile capital of Shillong, Assam Legislative Assembly is one of the oldest legislative bodies, second only to Uttar Pradesh, that was set up under the Government of India Act, 1935.
“It has been witness to many transformative laws which were the outcome of discussion and dialogue for the welfare of the people of Assam during the last 75 years after Independence,” Mr. Birla said.
