Lok Sabha Speaker Warns Opposition Against Wearing Slogan T-Shirts in House

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday asked the opposition members not to come wearing T-shirts with slogans written on them when the House meeting began. While instructing the opposition members, he adjourned the Lok Sabha proceedings till noon. When the House proceedings began, Birla told the opposition members, ‘The House runs with decorum and dignity. I have been observing for some days that the members are violating the dignity of the House and are not following the rules and procedures of the House.’

The Lok Sabha Speaker said, ‘You should read rule number 349. It is written about how one should behave and what the conduct should be to maintain the prestige of the House.’ Birla warned the opposition members, ‘If you come here (in the House) wearing a T-shirt, shout slogans, come with slogans written on your forehead, then the proceedings of the House will not continue. The proceedings of the House will continue only if you do not come wearing a T-shirt. No matter who the big leader is, if he violates the decorum and traditions of the House, then as the Lok Sabha Speaker, it is my responsibility to maintain it.’

What was written on the T-shirts of opposition members?

The Lok Sabha Speaker stood up from his seat and told the noisy opposition members to go out if they did not want the proceedings of the House to continue. With this, Birla adjourned the proceedings of the House till noon on Thursday. Let us tell you that DMK MP T Shiva arrived in Parliament wearing a T-shirt on which was written, ‘Fair delimitation, Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win.’ He said, ‘Tamil Nadu is insisting on fair delimitation. This will affect about 7 states, but there has been no response from the government yet. That’s why we are continuing our protest demanding fair delimitation.’

What is delimitation, and why did this issue arise?

Delimitation is the process of redefining parliamentary and assembly constituencies according to population changes. Its purpose is to ensure that approximately the same number of people live in each constituency. In other words, delimitation is directly linked to size. States with a larger population get more representatives in Parliament than states with smaller populations. Many states in the south are concerned that the more populous states of North India will get more seats in delimitation, which will reduce their representation in Parliament.