No coming to the Well or placards in LS: Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday spoke against disruptions in the House and asked members not to come into the Well or raise placards even as he promised to provide protection to members without looking at the numbers.

Addressing his maiden press conference here, Birla, who was elected as Speaker on Wednesday, also said that he will strive to improve the working of parliamentary committees and make the parliament library among the best digitised libraries.

He defended his move to allow the introduction of triple talaq bill in parliament on Friday instead of the house taking up debate on the motion of thanks to the President's Address, saying that "rules were above tradition".

Answering a question why the triple talaq bill was introduced instead of a debate on the President's address, he said the decision about the business in the House had been taken in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).

Birla said he will encourage all members to speak in the House and raise issues.

"We will try that the house proceedings go without interruption and we create a new history. This is my responsibility that whether it is the ruling side or the opposition, I will provide them protection and it will be my responsibility to protect the dignity of the House... It will not be on the basis of numbers. Counting is not on the basis of numbers (of a party). Even if one member is saying the right thing, it should be heard properly in the House. I have tried for this," Birla said here.

He said slogans and banners can be raised outside the House and not inside. "Why there should be zindabad, murdabad in the well of the house, why should there be placards," he said.

Birla added that members can protest if they are not given permission to speak as per rules.

The Speaker said he will take suggestions of all parties, carry them along and take them into confidence.

He said each MP represents lakhs of people and Lok Sabha was the platform to raise their issues.

"I will try that every MP gets an opportunity. I will talk to them personally also so that they raise their issues. The government should also try to respond to the issues raised by members and try to solve them," he said.

The Speaker said Indian elections have been held with transparency and people had voted enthusiastically in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He said the House has 78 women members, 46 of whom are first timers and the youngest woman MP was 25.

He said previous Speakers and members had contributed to the dignity of the House. "I will strive to increase the dignity further," he said.

Birla said there was a good debate in the parliamentary committees which helps the government and effort should be made to make the process more effective.

He said India's democracy is praised all over the world and time has come that India's parliament also earns praise all over.

Birla said he will look at parliamentary processes in other countries and see how it can help in the more effective running of the Lok Sabha.

He said parliament library should be "such a digital library" that every student, every scholar can use it.

The Speaker said there were 265 newly-elected members and the library can have a facility where they can understand the rules and procedures, ways to raise issues before they come to the Lok Sabha for their first session.

He said members also want that the house should run without disruptions.

( With inputs from ANI )