Lucknow, August 05 (HS): As the House met at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the

third day of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly monsoon session, the Speaker condemned

Tuesday's uproar. Crossing the boundaries of parliamentary conduct is extremely

detrimental to this institution. He said that what happened yesterday was not

appropriate for a constitutional institution. We must decide what legacy we are

bequeathing to the next generation.

Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana said from the bench that in a democracy there

can be pro-government, pro-opposition, dialogue, consensus, and disagreement.

This is also a part of democracy. When someone asked me, I said that the

opposition is not there to praise the government. It is there to raise the

problems of the people. The government's job is to tell the House about its

work done and to introduce public welfare schemes. He said that such moments

also come in the House when a slightly uncomfortable situation arises, yet the

House has been functioning for the last four and a half years. It is not that

before yesterday, opposition members did not come for recess during the last

four and a half years. They came, considered the time and circumstances, said

their point and went back to their seats.

The Speaker of the Assembly said, I want to point out that Ambedkar

said that time will tell whether the problem lies not in the Constitution, but

in the individual. Over the past four and a half years, we have striven to

ensure that the House's proceedings are conducted in a manner consistent with

the Constitution's dignity and importance. As Speaker, for the first time in

the country, I classified members according to their qualifications. I

explained that the legislature is second to none. Doctors, engineers, lawyers,

and academics have been elected to the House.

Referring to an old

incident in the House, he said, I remember the then Chief Minister

Akhilesh Yadav and the Leader of the Opposition, Swami Prasad Maurya, and I had

said even then that the Leader of the House should be respected. The oath that

members of the House take implies that they will respect the Leader of the

House. If we do not rise above party lines to respect the Leader of the House,

this institution will become ineffective. I doubt whether the dignity of all

members will be maintained. He said that debate, agreement, and

disagreement are part of democracy. However, we must maintain the decorum of

language. Crossing the boundaries of parliamentary conduct is extremely harmful

to this institution. But I am saddened and disappointed by what happened in the

House yesterday.

For the first time, I realized that either my efforts were lacking, or Dr.

Ambedkar was right when he said that the flaw lies not in the Constitution but

in individuals. Yesterday, the behavior of a member offended me. Despite

repeated warnings, he refused to maintain decorum. He continued speaking in the

same manner even after leaving. I have tried to impart to this House everything

I have learned during my political career. But I feel that we have failed in

our efforts. Unless members speak well, the constitutional institution cannot

be elevated. Mahana said, I appeal to all of you here to rise above party

lines and consider what traditions we are leaving behind for future

generations. How meaningful are we embodying the ideology and dreams of the

freedom fighters. Finally, I would also like to say that despite my

refusal, some members have provided videos and photographs of the meeting to

the media and social media. These have been circulated. This is objectionable.

He said that I had also requested the respected media members not to

broadcast it. Earlier, when the video recording was being done, I had also

refused to broadcast it, so they did not show it. Yesterday, despite my

refusal, the members posted photos and videos of the incident on social media.

This is extremely objectionable. If you want to send the message that we cannot

improve, it is sad. The conduct of one member does not reflect the conduct of

one member, but rather sends a message to the public about the 403 members of

the Assembly. It is noteworthy that on Tuesday, Samajwadi Party MLAs created a

ruckus in the Assembly. During that time, SP MLA Engineer Sachin Yadav was

protesting with a poster bearing the Chief Minister's picture. The Speaker

stopped him, but he refused. Consequently, he was suspended. On Wednesday,

Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana adjourned the House for half an hour at around

11:20 am and then extended the adjournment until 1 pm.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi