Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday inaugurated a two-day orientation programme for members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly in Raipur, stressing the importance of dignity and decorum in legislatures.

He said it is important that dissent is expressed within the established parameters of parliamentary dignity and decorum. When it comes to national interest, all Members should work collectively to achieve that goal without being guided by partisan politics, counselled the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Mr Birla said all three organs of the State should function within Constitutional limits. As these organs draw their powers from the Constitution, there should be no overlapping in their powers and functions.

He said the legislators should utilize the forum of the House to articulate hopes and aspirations of the people. Underlining the rich parliamentary democracy of India, Mr Birla noted that agreement and disagreement between the Treasury and the Opposition benches is the soul of parliamentary democracy, but that disagreement should be within the ambit of the dignity and decorum of the House.

Further, highlighting the dignity of the Chair in the House as paramount, Birla suggested that Members of both sides of the House must respect decisions of the Chair. Respect for the Chair will strengthen people’s faith in democratic institutions, he added.

Mr Birla advised the Members to denounce tactics of disruption and to adopt the path of debate and discussion. Fruitful debates in the House will pave the way to solve people’s issues, he noted. He said the members of the Chhattisgarh Assembly should conduct themselves in such a manner as to set an ideal for other legislatures.

Speaking on the role of legislators as law makers and people’s representatives, Mr Birla noted that success of people’s representatives is measured by their faithful articulation of the issues of the people. He suggested the Members to actively and forcefully articulate the issues and concerns of the people and to dedicate themselves for their welfare and progress of the State and the nation.

People have faith on them to bring positive changes in their lives and it is the responsibility of the public representatives to rise to those expectations and work sincerely to fulfill them. Consultation with all stakeholders is the key to their efficiency, said Mr Birla.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said that legislators, in order to be more effective, must acquaint themselves with the subjects and the rules. Members should spend more time in the House and learn from others’ experience and expertise, he said.

The more they will learn, the more they will be able to articulate effectively, he said.

The Members should know how to effectively use parliamentary tools like Question Hour, Zero Hour, Half an Hour Discussion and Adjournment Motion as this will help them as law makers.

He advised the Members to use technology for effectively discharging their responsibilities and to connect with the people. Knowledge of rules and subjects, combined with use of technology will make them better legislators, he noted.

Expressing hope that the two-day Orientation programme will help the Members, particularly the newly elected Members, Mr Birla said that the design of the programme and guidance of the senior leaders and domain experts will definitely help the newly elected Members to gain knowledge in legislative matters.

He expressed happiness that in the newly constituted Assembly, the number of women legislators has increased from 18 per cent to 21 per cent compared to the last Assembly.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao; Ministers of Chhattisgarh Government, MLAs of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, Secretary–General, Lok Sabha and several other dignitaries graced the inaugural session. Speaker, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Satish Mahana was also present