Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, the newly-elected National Conference (NC) MP from Srinagar, urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to uphold parliamentary decorum by preventing derogatory remarks against Muslim parliamentarians and ensuring thorough deliberations on significant legislation like the abrogation of Article 370.
In his brief inaugural speech following Birla's election as Speaker on Wednesday, the National Conference member appealed for non-partisan conduct, stating, "I would request you (to remember) that from today you are neither BJP nor Congress or Samajwadi, and you have only one party, and that is the Constitution of India."
Mehdi expressed optimism that the Speaker would uphold constitutional values and ensure the House remained as a bastion of democracy.
He cryptically referred to the Speaker's legacy, highlighting that his actions in managing both government and opposition voices would define his tenure.
"This House would remember you for your actions whether you forced treasury benches to listen to the opposition or you silenced the opposition," he stated.
Mehdi pointed out the importance of respecting elected representatives and recalled a past incident where a fellow MP had derogatorily referred to a Muslim parliamentarian as a "terrorist."
Furthermore, he said, "You will remember how you silenced the voices in the House that called an elected Muslim MP a terrorist or did you allow those voices," he remarked, prompting an intervention from Speaker Birla.
While expressing concerns about the treatment of Muslims across the country, Mehdi stressed the need to prevent instances where elected representatives are disparaged in the House.
He referenced an incident from a special session last September when former BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri had made derogatory remarks against former BSP’s Danish Ali, calling him, among other things, an aatankwadi ( terrorist).”
The Speaker had expunged these remarks from the records, which was soon followed by an apology by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for Bidhuri’s comments.
Mehdi also called for thorough discussions on critical bills, citing concerns over the passage of the Article 370 bill, adding that he was amazed to see how a bill in Parliament was passed within two hours.
In response, Speaker Birla defended the legislative process, informing the House about the extensive debate preceding the passage of the Article 370 bill, countering Mehdi's assertion of a rushed legislative process.
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