Unparliamentary Words Row: Lok Sabha Speaker Forced To Issue Clarification

New Delhi: Soon after the Lok Sabha secretariat released a list of words – both English and Hindi — designated as ‘unparliamentary’, there was a fierce backlash.

Senior members of Parliament criticized the report, and the Opposition accused the BJP-headed NDA government of listing every word used by them to “describe how BJP was destroying India” as unparliamentary.

Amid the row over the Lok Sabha secretariat’s report, Speaker Om Birla sought to calm nerves by clarifying that no word has been banned, but the secretariat has issued a compilation of words which have been expunged in the House previously.

“Words that have been expunged have been said/used in the Parliament by the Opposition as well as the party in power. Nothing as such selective expunging of words used by only Opposition… no words have been banned, have removed words that were objected to previously,” Birla said during a press conference.

“Earlier a book of such unparliamentary words used to be released… to avoid wastage of paper, we have put it on internet. No words have been banned, we have issued a compilation of the words that have been expunged,” Birla said, adding that it’s a routine practice which has been prevalent since 1959.

The Speaker added that members’ right to express their views can’t be snatched, but it should be as per decorum of Parliament.

“The decision to expunge words taken keeping in mind context and objections raised by other members,” the Speaker added.