GANDHINAGAR, July 29: Speaker Dhirubhai Shah today warned Social Welfare Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela that the latter would, in future, desist from making any policy statement outside the Assembly when the House was in session.The Speaker sounded this warning while giving ruling on the issue of breach of propriety raised by Congress member Dolatbhai Parmar against the Minister. Parmar had on March 27 contended in the House that the Minister's announcement of incentive schemes for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Castes through newspapers when the House was in session amounted to a breach of propriety.Upholding Parmar's contention, the Speaker, quoting from his predecessors' rulings, observed that an announcement relating to even a change in any existing policy should be made on the floor of the House, which the Social Welfare Minister in this case had not done, resulting in the breach of propriety of the House.Shah pointed out that the Council of Ministers was answerable to the State Legislative Assembly and announcement on any policy decision taken by the Cabinet must be made on the floor of the House when it was in session so that the Assembly could present its views on such a decision and provide guidance to the government.Raising the issue, Parmar had contended that Vaghela had announced outside the House an increase in the financial assistance for the SC/ST people, entailing an additional burden of Rs 1.30 crore on the exchequer. The announcement amounted to the breach of propriety of the House, for it had been made when the Assembly was in session then, he argued.In his clarification, Vaghela had said that the announcement made by him was part of the policy decision taken by the BJP Government on November 18, 1995 and it was only an enhancement of the decision. Hence, it would not amount to any breach of propriety of the House.But, the Speaker rejected the Minister's contention and upheld the Congress MLA's argument.The Speaker, however, let off Health Minister Ashok Bhatt while rejecting the issue of breach of propriety of the House raised by Congress member Jashu Barad against the Minister.On March 27, Barad had raised the issue in the House, saying that the announcement by the minister exempting from the bus fares those unemployed youths going to places of interview amounted to the breach of propriety as it had been made seven days after the House was summoned on March 7.In his ruling, Shah observed that the Minister had not made this announcement when the House was in session nor was the Assembly session to meet in a day or two before the announcement was made. Hence, the Congress member's contention could not be accepted, the Speaker Shah ruled.
