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Presiding officers adopt Code of Conduct for MPs, MLAs

A resolution incorporating the 60-point code was adopted unanimously at the end of a day-long Conference on 'Discipline and Decorum in Parliament and Legislatures' by a show of hands in the Central Hall of Parliament in the presence of over 300 leaders, including the Rajya Sabha chairman, Lok Sabha speaker, the prime minister, leader of the Opposition and several chief ministers.

Resolving to uphold the prestige of Parliament and legislatures by enforcing the code, the conference, convened by Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi, declared that 'all violations or breaches of the code should be duly punished by measures like admonition, reprimand, censure or withdrawal from the House for offences of a less serious nature and by automatic suspension from the service of the House for a specific period for grave misconduct as may be specified."

It asked members to refrain from storming the well of the House and barred them from shouting slogans.

Concerned over the shrinking of sessions, the conference called for immediate steps to be taken to ensure a minimum of 110 days of Parliament and 90 and 50 days for legislatures of big and small states, respectively, through a Constitution amendment.

Balayogi asked legislators to adopt a new perspective and orientation in conducting themselves and wanted an implementable code of conduct to bring in a change in the state of affairs in legislatures.

The conference, the first such exercise since 1992, witnessed the government and opposition members blaming each other for the growing lack of decorum in legislative bodies.

Political party leaders and several chief ministers voiced concern over the increasing trend of disruption by elected representatives and sought self-disciplining of members to maintain the dignity of parliamentary institutions.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in his extempore speech in Hindi, said a code should be evolved and strictly adhered to by legislators to strengthen democracy.

Observing that both treasury and opposition benches should ensure dignity of legislatures, the prime minister said the opposition should not resort to any steps that would erode democratic values.

Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, however, disagreed with the prime minister saying a 'great deal of disruption' in Parliament was due to the government's reluctance to face the Houses on controversial matters.

Gandhi, who is also the Congress president, suggested rules of procedure be 'creatively interpreted' to give the Opposition every opportunity to ventilate its grievances.

Inaugurating the meet, Vice President Krishan Kant, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, regretted the 'multiplying' instances of indecorous behaviour saying an 'anti-hero' can never be a role model.

In his closing remarks, Balayogi termed the 11-hour conference as a rewarding experience and said the deliberations would help in bridging the government-opposition divide.

Fifty-one political leaders and presiding officers, including five chief ministers, spoke at the conference.

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