During 2-day programme, new Gujarat Assembly members to learn about their privileges and ethics

Through real-life examples—including, but not limited to, recent ones—audio-visual aids and a lot of rules, 182 members of the Gujarat Assembly will learn from parliamentarians the various ropes of being people’s representatives this week.

Conducted by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the two-day orientation programme starting Wednesday will be inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Gandhinagar and it will also have state Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in attendance. His cabinet ministers, MLAs of all political parties, former speakers, former chief ministers and deputy chief ministers are among those who are also expected to participate in the programme.

This Gujarat Assembly has 105 new faces, so instructors as well as guest speakers including experts, senior parliamentarians and ministers, will emphasise on privilege and ethics of elected MLAs.

The just-concluded first half of the Budget Session of Parliament saw uproars in the Lok Sabha when a member used unparliamentary language. Speeches of members are routinely expunged from daily records. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address faced several such deletions.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the misconception about privilege especially in newly-elected members is that they think they carry their privilege wherever they go. If they have a tiff with local officials, they claim it is against their privilege. That is not the case,” said an instructor of the orientation programme on the condition of anonymity.

When an elected member (MP or MLA) is going to attend any parliamentary business, nobody can stop him. That is his privilege. But when he is meeting local bureaucrats to get some job done, he is on ‘representation duty’ and his privilege does not always apply there. “Often new members do not know the difference,” the instructor cited above said.

So, over the two days, MLAs will be schooled in topics such as ‘How to be an Effective Legislator?’; ‘Committee System and Parliamentary Questions’; ‘Budgetary Process’; ‘Legislative Process’; ‘India’s Presidency in G-20’; ‘Procedural Devices to Raise Matters of Urgent Public Importance in the House’; ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ and ‘Importance of Constitutional Bodies in a Democracy’.

Technology is another subject that will find emphasis. Officials said that the increasing use of technology in running the House proceedings has made it more challenging for the Members. “A large number of members are not very fluent in using laptops, iPads, etc. That makes them dependent on others for the rules and procedures,” an official said. “They will be familiarised with technological inputs they can utilise in their work as legislators.”

Officials said, in their experience, new members may be very good at getting elected, but they are not well versed in how to represent issues of importance in the House. There are customs that new members need to be acquainted with. For example, if the Speaker is on his legs, all members need to take their seats. One cannot interrupt another member’s speech and one cannot name someone who is not present in the House etc.

“For example, just because it is important does not mean that you can raise it whenever you want in the House. There are various devices available for that,” said an instructor from the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The orientation programme will be conducted by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), Lok Sabha Secretariat, in coordination with the Gujarat Legislative Assembly Secretariat. It will conclude with a valedictory address by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on February 16.