Kerala: Speaker disapproves of improper remarks in queries to be raised in Assembly

Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker M B Rajesh on Monday disapproved of some legislators' deliberate conduct of including insulting or improper remarks in queries to be raised in the House and strictly warned those concerned with editing the questions to ensure the same does not happen.

The Speaker's warning came in connection with the ''failure'' of the Niyamasabha secretariat in properly editing an unstarred question, raised by an LDF legislator, which contended that majority of MPs from Kerala were taking anti-development stand in connection with the state in the Parliament and what the ruling Left dispensation was going to do to prevent the same.

On August 23, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly V D Satheesan had contended that such remarks in the query were unfair.

Rajesh said the query was examined in detail by the Chair and it was found that ''there was a failure on the part of the Niyamasabha secretariat in editing the notice/query''.

He said that this has happened despite a ruling by the Chair against the same in June last year when the 15th assembly commenced and therefore, ''it was unacceptable''.

''Those concerned are being strictly warned not to repeat the same,'' the Speaker said.

He further said that the Chair had previously also ruled that legislators who are framing or preparing questions to be raised in the House should be careful not to include statements which are insulting or improper.

''Despite this, it has been noticed that some legislators are still deliberately continuing to make such statements in the questions being framed to be raised in the House.

''Therefore, the Chair is also expressing its disapproval against the same.'' Rajesh said.

Another complaint that Satheesan had raised on August 23 was that 26 queries the opposition wanted to raise in the House as starred questions were converted to unstarred questions without seeking a response from the legislators concerned.

On this matter, the Speaker said the 26 queries were examined carefully and in detail and it was found that there was nothing wrong in the Niyamasabha secretariat's decision to categorise them as unstarred queries.

He ruled that no House procedures or regulations were violated when the 26 queries were converted into unstarred questions.

The Speaker said queries which lack public importance, lack any basis as per House rules and regulations, are based on hearsay or encourage wrong impressions among the people can be converted into unstarred queries.