Following the turmoil over the ban of list words in the Parliament, government sources have claimed that the list was simply a compilation of the words that were already considered unparliamentary.
After opposition uproar over certain words of common use being categorized as unparliamentary in a booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, government sources Thursday said "it is not a suggestion or order", as the terms have already been expunged by presiding officers of Parliament and state legislatures. They said the words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA regime.
Sources in Parliament said 62 new words have been added to the list during the last year and some of these may be under review. Government sources said the list is not a new suggestion, but merely a compilation of words already expunged in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, or state legislatures. It also contains words considered unparliamentary in parliaments of Commonwealth countries, they said.
They said the opposition has created a hue and cry about the compilation of unparliamentary words in Parliament. But what is "amusing" is that they have tried to create a storm without knowing the facts, an official said, adding that this list is brought out every year. "Most of these words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA government. The booklet is a mere compilation of the words, not suggestions or order," the official said.
Lok Sabha sources said the practice to compile expunged words has been in existence since 1954 and the list only acts as a reference for parliamentarians. "If certain words are found objectionable and not in consonance with decorum and dignity of Parliament, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chair of either house to expunge those words," a Lok Sabha source said.
The opposition has hit out at the government for listing "every word used by them to describe how BJP was destroying India" as unparliamentary. Government sources pointed out that the word 'abused' was considered unparliamentary in the House of Representatives of Australia, while 'childishness' was frowned upon in Qubec's National Assembly. They said the phrases 'lollipops in the budget' and 'you have reached here telling a lie' were expunged from the Punjab Assembly.
The words 'atam, shatam, aksham' and 'anpadh, anargal' were expunged from the proceedings of the assemblies of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan respectively, the sources said. "Most of these words were considered unparliamentary even during the UPA government," a source said, adding that the word 'asatya' was expunged from the Rajasthan assembly in 2021.
The word 'corrupt' and the expression 'corrupt man' were expunged on July 25, 1980, while the expression 'incompetent ministers' was expunged on November 17, 1976, officials said.