Dehradun: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday told legislators in Uttarakhand Assembly that disruptions in either Parliament or state Assemblies were not desirable even as he hailed the just-concluded Budget Session of Parliament for being low on interruptions and forced adjournments.
Expressing concern over the fewer number of hours being devoted to legislative business, he urged state MLAs that "for God's sake, don't indulge in disruptions it is unwelcome". He said more time should be devoted to House proceedings and business so that "we do not fail to deliver on the desired results or meet objectives".
Talking about the Budget session of Parliament, Mukherjee expressed happiness that there were fewer interruptions and adjournments this time.
"It is a matter of satisfaction that the current 16th Lok Sabha has assumed its role and responsibilities in the right earnest. Until now, the 16th Lok Sabha has sat for 90 days and passed 55 Bills. Twenty-four bills were passed in the just concluded fourth session.
"Further, the House sat late for 55 hours and 19 minutes in the fourth session to transact urgent government business.
Seven hours and four minutes were sadly lost due to interruptions and forced adjournments. Thankfully, this was lesser than in many previous sessions," he said.
He also hailed first-time MPs for taking part in debates.
"Let me add that a noteworthy feature of this Lok Sabha is that there are 318 first timers and the time spent on quality debates and discussions has gone up considerably," he said.
Given the heightened complexity of administration, legislation must be preceded by debate and thorough scrutiny, he said, adding that "if not, it will fail to deliver the desired results or meet its objectives".
"These is need for utmost caution in matters of legislation, money and finance," Mukherjee stressed.
"It must be kept in mind that no expenditure can be incurred by the Executive, no tax levied and no money withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of the State without the approval of the Legislature... you have to properly scrutinise these things as there may be serious errors (in these proposals)," he said.
The President asked the legislators to ensure that the "content and quality of debates that take place in the chambers (of the House) are of the highest order".
He also said that lawmakers should ensure that the question hour during Assembly and parliamentary sessions are "fully utilised" to hold the Executive accountable for its actions or inactions.
Mukherjee also urged the lawmakers in the hill state to increase the number of sittings of their Assembly so that "issues can be thoroughly discussed and debated".
With the Presiding Officers' Conferences time and again having reiterated the need for holding a minimum of 100 days of sittings in Parliament and state legislatures, he said, "It is unfortunate that time devoted by legislators towards legislation has been gradually declining across the country."
Asking the legislators to maintain discipline and decorum, he said the "cardinal principle for the effective functioning of the parliamentary system is that the majority will rule and minority will oppose, expose and, if possible, depose".
"However, minority must accept the decisions of the majority while the majority will have to keep their views with great respect.
"Discipline and decorum must be always maintained in the Assembly and rules, conventions and etiquette observed Dissent should be expressed with decency and within the contours and parameters of parliamentary devices. Democracy should comprise three 'Ds'- 'Debate, Dissent and Decision' not 'D for Disruption'," he said.
Mukherjee reminded the legislators that they must remember that the "people are our masters".
"Each one of us is here because we solicited votes and received their endorsement if we don't serve them (people), it will be a gross dereliction of duty," he said.
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