BJD leader Pinaki Misra on Sunday came out in support of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the issue of unparliamentary words, saying he was "unfairly targeted" as listing out such words has been a routine practice in Parliament.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader also pressed for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill besides demanding a legislative council for Odisha, where the party is in power for many years now
"On behalf of my party BJD, I demanded that the women's reservation bill should be introduced and a legislative council for the state be set up," Misra told reporters.
"I also flagged that the Speaker was being unfairly targeted over the issue of unparliamentary words as it has been a routine practice," he said after attending the all-party meeting convened by the government. Various opposition parties have targeted the government over the curbs on usage of some words in Parliament.
The opposition dubbed the booklet of compilation of such words a "gag order" and said every expression used by them to describe how the BJP was "destroying India" has now been declared unparliamentary.
The clamour forced the Lok Sabha Speaker to step in and soothe frayed tempers by making it clear that no word has been banned from use in Parliament, but will be expunged on contextual basis. Members are free to express their views while maintaining the decorum of the House, he said.
The opposition was brimming with anger after a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Wednesday that the use of terms like 'jumlajeevi', 'baal buddhi', 'Covid spreader', 'Snoopgate' and even commonly used words such as 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'corrupt', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' will henceforth be considered unparliamentary in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
-With PTI Input
