Expressing serious concern over the increasing incidents of members disrupting the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday called for collective thinking by the elected representatives to avert such situations.
Delivering the special address at the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Tamil Nadu Assembly here, the President said, “Dissent is recognised as a democratic expression, but it should be expressed with decency and well within the contours and parameters of the Parliamentary procedures.
“A cardinal principle of effective functioning of a Parliamentary system is that a majority will rule and minority will oppose, expose and, if possible, depose. But, this should be done within the framework of rules framed by the legislatures themselves.” The President suggested that it should be the endeavour of every legislator to ensure that the content and quality of debates were of high order befitting their status as people’s representatives.
The President said the three D’s — Debate, Dissent and Decide — should be the guiding principles of proceedings in Parliament and Assembly. The 4th D — Disruption — should be avoided strictly, he added.
The President also expressed concern over the tendency of some States to promulgate ordinances and re-promulgate it without legislative sanction. He said that this was in violation of the Constitution and very disturbing. “Ordinances should be promulgated when there was an immediate need. It was very disturbing to note that some States were re-promulgating Ordinances again and again without sanction,” he said.