Decline in sittings of legislatures a matter of concern: Om Birla in Patna

Birla was speaking at the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) held in the Central Hall of the Bihar Legislative Extension building in Patna. Speakers of legislative assemblies, chairpersons of legislative councils and the secretaries from all the states are participating and the conference will conclude on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, he pointed to the challenges being faced by the parliamentary bodies.

He said that the falling number of sittings of the legislatures was also a matter of concern, as was the growing practice of disruptions and adjournments.

“It was a challenge in 1954, and it is still a concern,” he added.

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Birla said that the Constitution adopted the concept of cooperative federalism.

“Most of the legislatures in the country have gone paperless and digital to ensure access of all the debates on one platform. By 2025 everything will be available on one platform. Now is the time to spread the canvas to also include other democratic bodies like the Panchayat Raj institutions, urban local bodies and the cooperative societies and the states can do it,” he added.

He said the legislatures should be a place for meaningful and result-oriented discussions and for that all the political parties should come together to have a code of conduct for their respective parties to set good precedents for the larger good of the people despite having political differences.

“The dignity of the Houses depends on the dignity of its members and that lends strength to democracy. There should be capacity building for members. The number of disruptions and adjournments should be reduced to create more room for meaningful discussions and the presiding officers should discuss it with all the political parties. The dignity during the Governor’s address should be maintained,” he added.