Behave in dignified manner in House, Bihar Assembly Speaker tells lawmakers
Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha warned that unruly behaviour by legislators in the Assembly would invite strong action.
Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha said Monday evening that video footage of the House proceedings were being reviewed to identify those who created ruckus with their undignified behaviour in the House last Thursday.
“After identification, the concerned legislature party leaders will be informed so that they could pass necessary instruction in this regard and any recurrence would invite strong action from the chair,” he said at the all-party meeting in the morning to discuss the opposition’s demand for a debate on prohibition, according to a statement issued by the Speaker’s office.
Sinha said that on Tuesday, the debate on the budgetary demand of the home department is scheduled for three hours and during that the members would get plenty of opportunity to debate prohibition and other issues. “The dignity of the House is paramount and it should be the responsibility of all to ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings,” he added.
The Speaker also exhorted the leaders of all political parties to start a public awareness programme in support of prohibition and make a beginning from their house, with a writing on the wall that their house is addiction free.
“This will have a big impact on the society,” he said, adding that all the members were for strict enforcement of prohibition without any attempt to implicate or protect anyone.
The Speaker said that the law should protect informers passing on information about illegal liquor trade. “There should not be any action against them,” he added.
Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said that the government was neither into implicating nor protecting anyone. “Once any case comes to notice, action is initiated in an unbiased manner and law takes its own course,” he added.
Leader of Opposition Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav, however, said that he had raised a relevant matter about a case being instituted against the brother of a minister in a case of liquor recovery. “The minister should clarify his position in the House,” he added.
However, the Speaker, in the statement, said that he could not level allegations against a minister like this and cited rules of legislative business. “If one has to say anything against a member or a minister, it should be presented with facts before the Speaker for disposal as per laid down provisions,” he added.
Four minister of the government, including parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, deputy CM Tar Kishore Prasad, energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Shravan Kumar, leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Congress legislature party leader Ajeet Sharma, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM-S and other legislature party leaders attended the meeting ahead of day’s session