Will make efforts for better decorum in House: Speaker

Let’s do in the assembly what people have elected us for: Mahana’s message to MLAs

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Satish Mahana on Tuesday asserted his intention to have better decorum, conduct,and discussions in the House.

“Though one can’t do much (more) than requesting the members to conduct themselves well, I will make efforts for better decorum, conduct, discussion, and increased participation of members in the House,” he said at the Coffee with HT programme at the Hindustan Times, Lucknow office.

“I will tell the MLAs to do inside the House what people have elected them for instead of doing the same things inside that we do outside (dharnas, demonstrations, commotion in streets). I will tell them, let’s do here (inside) what cannot be done outside,” he said.

He said that he will say these things at the business advisory committee meeting before the assembly sessions.

“In fact, I would make them relate with one of my own mistakes as an MLA. When I became the MLA for the first time in 1991, I was made a member of the pustakalaya samiti (library committee). Then when the time came to attend a meeting of the committee, I was told that those members who would attend the meeting would get Rs 150 allowance for it, and those who skip won’t get it. My response was ‘ why would I attend a meeting for the allowance?’ and I skipped the meeting,” he said.

“This continued. Then, on another occasion (this was after I had been a minister of state once), I refused to attend the meeting of a committee saying that “why would I attend the meeting, I had been a minister.” But since 2007, I developed an interest (in the activities of the House and my role as an MLA). In 2007, I was made the chairman of the government assurance committee. Then I realised the importance.

So, all the MLAs will have to realise why the people have elected them and what they are losing by not participating. Had I not corrected myself in 2007, I would have been a loser big time,” he added.

Mahana said that he will make all possible efforts to increase the participation of MLAs.

Regarding an oft-repeated complaint made by Opposition members that they do not get enough time to make their points, Mahana said: “All the parties will get time according to the number of their members”.

About the general bitterness and the standard of the language of political parties against each other, Mahana said: “It is quite unfortunate and such conduct is not good for democracy.”