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'Baith jaiye, prem se boliye': Mahua Moitra's jab on 'unparliamentary' words row
Banned words in parliament: Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted ‘wah Modiji, wah’, while Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien threw down a fiery challenge to the government.
Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday joined colleague Derek O'Brien in red-flagging the move to ban from parliament 40 words and phrases - including those used frequently by the opposition to attack and critique the government. She fired three tweets in response to the banned list, including a 'baith jaiye, baith Jaiye... prem se boliye' jab seen as a reference to former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar's attempt to control a particularly chaotic session in 2013.
"'Baith jaiye. Baith Jaiye. Prem se boliye'. New list of unparliamentary words for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha does not include 'sanghi'. Basically government has taken all words used by opposition to describe how BJP destroying India and banned them," Mahua Moitra said.
Also today Derek O'Brien threw down a challenge to the government, declaring he fully intended to use all the phrases and words deemed 'unparliamentary'.
"Session begins in a few days… Now, we will not be allowed to use these basic words while delivering a speech in Parliament : Ashamed. Abused. Betrayed. Corrupt. Hypocrisy. Incompetent. I will use all these words. Suspend me. Fighting for democracy."
READ | 'Will use these words, suspend me": Derek O'Brien on 'unparliamentary' language
The monsoon session is scheduled to begin on July 18.
Both Mahua Moitra and Derek O'Brien are members of the Lok Sabha.
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi simply tweeted a photograph of a newspaper report about a study by the World Economic Forum that ranked India 135th in gender parity and last (of 146 nations) in health.
"Since speaking these words from the report will be considered unparliamentary, just leaving it here with Wah Modiji, Wah!"
According to the booklet issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat, 'sexual harassment' is on the list of words and phrases that have been banned.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh also spoke up, and said words used to 'describe the reality' of the Narendra Modi government had been blocked.
Words and expressions are periodically declared unparliamentary in legislative bodies, but presiding officers have the last word in expunging such utterances. When expunged they do not form part of the parliamentary records.
