Allocate more time for junior MLAs to raise issues in House: Gujarat Speaker

Gujarat Assembly Speaker Rajendra Suryaprasad Trivedi has come up with innovative ways to convince junior MLAs, who tend to raise slogans and enter the Well of the House, to maintain order.

Trivedi was in Lucknow to attend the 7th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India Region Conference at the UP Legislative Assembly.

Speaking to PTI in an interview, he said, "In my experience, I used to wonder why MLAs enter the Well of the House. The major reason is that the first-time MLAs generally get less time to put forward their views, as the focus is relatively more on the senior MLAs."
Mentioning some of the questions, the 65-year-old said, "For example, I ask them who is your teacher? I will write a letter to them or I will write a letter to their father."
The Gujarat speaker also said, "To MLAs who do not raise good issues, I send a hand-written letter to them stating that they can become a good orator. This has to some extent acted as a motivation and those who used to indulge in hangama have started giving good statements in the House."
He pointed out, "During a session, if an MLA has put forth anything in a positive manner or raised an issue with a positive angle, it is published in 'Sanchit' magazine of the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. The MLA then goes to his constituency with the magazine."