After the opposition parties launched an attack over words which have been identified as ‘unparliamentary’ for use in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has clarified that no word has been banned from use in parliament. He added that members are free to express their views using any word while maintaining decorum of the House.
Earlier it was reported that the Lok Sabha secretariate has issued a booklet ahead of the monsoon session containing words which will be considered as unparliamentary in the both houses of the parliament. It said that words like ‘jumlajeevi’, ‘baal buddhi’, ‘Covid spreader’, ‘Snoopgate’, ‘ashamed’, ‘abused, ‘betrayed’, ‘corrupt’, ‘drama’, ‘hypocrisy’, ‘incompetent’, ‘anarchist’, ‘Shakuni’, ‘dictatorial’, ‘taanashah’, ‘taanashahi’, ‘Jaichand’, ‘vinash purush’, ‘Khalistani’, ‘khoon se kheti’ etc will be considered unparliamentary, and they will be expunged from the records.
This had triggered attacks from the opposition parties on the Modi government, terming it ban on the use of the words. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi tweeted, “What is the point of parliament if you can’t be creative in your criticism? Jumlajeevi ko jumlajeevi nahi bolnege to kya bolenge? Banning words is uncalled for!”
1/2What is the point of parliament if you can't be creative in your criticism? Jumlajeevi ko jumlajeevi nahi bolnege to kya bolenge? Banning words is uncalled for ! https://t.co/buc01BbX5f
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) July 14, 2022
Rahul Gandhi, who is on yet another vacation, also tweeted alleging that “words used in discussions and debates which correctly describe the PM’s handling of the government, now banned from being spoken”. He also claimed that the listed words are now banned and they can’t bs spoken.
New Dictionary for New India. pic.twitter.com/SDiGWD4DfY
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 14, 2022
Similar claims were made by several other opposition politicians, saying that words have been banned by the government.
However, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has clarified that no word has been banned from speaking, and they have published the booklet of unparliamentary words just like previous years. He also added while the booklet was published in printed form earlier, now they have decided to publish it on the internet to about wastage of papers.
Om Birla clarified that the booklet only contains a compilation of words which have already been expunged from parliament or assembly records earlier. “It’s a routine practice continuing since 1959,” he said, adding that if the opposition reads the 1100-page dictionary of unparliamentary words, they would have known that it is released regularly.
“No words have been banned”, he made it clear, adding that no one can snatch the rights of the members of legislative houses to express their views, but it should be as per decorum of the parliament. He denied allegations by the opposition that it is a gag order, saying people unaware of parliamentary practices are making all kinds of comments. He also added that the legislatures are independent of the government.
The clarification by Om Birla means that there no ban use of the words listed in the booklet of Unparliamentary Words, but when they are used in the house, the speaker can order them to be expunged from the records of the proceedings. Therefore, it is not a gag order and there is no ban on the words.
Om Birla also clarified that the words are not automatically expunged every time they are used in the house. He said that decision to expunge words is taken keeping in mind context and objections raised by other members.
The list is updated every year, and this year reportedly 62 new words have been added. Importantly, the words were added because they were expunged from records of parliament or legislative assemblies. Therefore, it is not complied by Modi govt as alleged by the opposition. It is notable that there non-BJP non-NDA governments in several states, which means words expunged from those assemblies of those states also have been added to the booklet.
Several of the ‘unparliamentary’ words which have been highlighted in media reports and used by opposition to target the govt were considered unparliamentary even before Modi government, and they were actually added to the list much earlier. For example, the words ‘corrupt’ and ‘corrupt man’ were added to the list in 1980, while the expression ‘incompetent ministers’ was expunged in 1976.
Many new words included in the list have been contributed by state assembles. For example, ‘Lollipops’, ‘gossipers’, ‘hooliganism’, ‘humiliated’, ‘Shame’, ‘Shameful’ etc words were expunged by Punjab Assembly last year, when Congress was in power in the state. Words ‘atam, shatam, aksham’ and ‘anpadh, anargal’ were expunged from Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assemblies respectively.
Similarly, several words expunged from assemblies of other states, including non-NDA ruled states, have been included in the booklet. The booklet also contains words and expressions which were expunged from records of parliaments of other countries, mostly commonwealth nations.
An official of the parliament said that most of these words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA government. “If certain words are found objectionable and not in consonance with decorum and dignity of Parliament, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chair of the either houses to expunge those words,” the officer said.
It is notable that the booklet is a mere compilation of the words, and it is not suggestion or order. The booklet only works as a guide for the members on what words may be considered unparliamentary, it does not prohibit members from using them. But they may be expunged if it is deemed unparliamentary based on the context.
