New Delhi, Jul 9 (IANS): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday expressed unhappiness over opposition members sloganeering and showing placards in the House during the proceedings, saying it is against the dignity of the House which is watched across the world.
The Speaker's remarks came at a time when there was uproar in the Lower House during Zero Hour with Congress and DMK members sloganeering against the government over the political crisis in Karnataka where several Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) MLAs have quit, putting the coalition government in a crisis.
Amid the din, Birla asked the members of the Congress and the DMK to return to their seats after they trooped near to the Speaker's podium.
The Congress and DMK MPs had trooped near the Speaker's podium raising slogans like "we want justice" and "stop dictatorship" against the government.
"We should take the House to a new level. It belongs to all of you. Do not take it towards sloganeering and showing of placards. My request to you is that debate and discuss as much as you want.
"The government should also reply to the issues it wants to. If you all agree, there is need to stop sloganeering, raising of placards in the House," Birla said.
He said the members can raise any number of issues and he will try to accommodate them. The Speaker also noted that the proceedings should not be like that in a municipal corporation or municipal council.
"The world watches the proceedings of the House. You have to maintain the dignity of the House. Do not make this House like municipal corporation and municipal council by bringing placards."
He then told Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to speak as much as he wanted.
Earlier, the Speaker told Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal that he had given a ruling to consider the request of Chowdhury to raise the Karnataka issue during Zero Hour.
Meghwal had cited rules and said that a member cannot speak on the same issue again during Zero Hour.
The Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of destabilizing the Congress-JD-S coalition government in Karnataka by luring its MLAs to cross over to the BJP.
Representing the Congress in the House, Chowdhury hit out at the government and asked it to stop "poaching politics".