NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Friday said the uproar, sloganeering and adjournments are not a good sign for democracy and legislators should maintain high standards of discipline and decency.
Delivering the inaugural speech at the first National Legislators Conference in Mumbai, Birla lamented that the recent incidents of commotion and interruptions in the House were a matter of grave concern.
“Being the highest public representative institution, legislators are expected to work as a role models for other institutions and organisations of the country. So, the legislators should be maintaining high standards of discipline and decency in their public life as incidents of unruly behaviours tarnish their images,” he said.
The sole responsibility of legislators is to effectively convey issues of the public interest, wishes, aspirations and needs of the populace to the executive, he said, adding that it is imperative on the part of the legislators to self-analyse the shortcomings and find solutions to future challenges.
“If the solutions to the problems are not found by discussion and dialogue, then there will be a judicial intervention which is not appropriate for the democracy,” he remarked. Sounding a note of caution, he said that public representatives must not only be accountable to their people but also to ensure transparency in all their actions. Earlier in the day, the speaker inaugurated Dr APJ Abdul KALAM Innovation Expo which showcases good governance models and innovative development models.