Naidu urges parties to have code of conduct for their MPs, MLAs, include it in poll manifesto

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday suggested that political parties should have a code of conduct for their MPs and MLAs to help monitor their behaviour in Parliament and state legislatures.

Naidu, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairman, suggested that political parties could include such a code in their election manifestos that would help enable voters to make their judgement before voting.

The code of conduct, he said, should include stipulations that members would not enter the well of the house, nor resort to sloganeering and disruptions or any other unruly behaviour such as tearing of papers and throwing them in the House.

He called for more coordination between the ruling party and the opposition, both inside and outside Parliament, that could help bring about consensus on important legislations.

"I suggest that political parties should have a code of conduct for their MPs to monitor their behaviour," he told reporters.

The Vice President said he was sure that the leadership and MPs of all political parties would appreciate the significance of functional Parliament and would maintain the positive momentum of the just-concluded session.

Noting that political parties were only rivals and not enemies, he was of the firm opinion that the ruling and the opposition parties should interact more frequently to ensure smooth conduct of both Parliament and legislatures.

Observing that parliamentary democracy was all about ensuring governance through accountability to the people, the Rajya Sabha chairman described the three important functions of legislatures as "Legislative, Deliberative and Accountability".

"We are supposed to make necessary legislations for the betterment of the country and the people, take up and deliberate on issues of public importance and ensure the accountability of the government of the day," he said.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman said that he has always been emphasizing the need for members to discuss, debate and decide and not resort to disruptions and obstructions in Parliament and state legislatures as people were becoming restless over such behaviour.

Naidu expressed concern over the tendency of the opposition parties to boycott the legislature in some states, while in certain other instances the opposition was sent out. In some states, the Assembly was meeting for very few days, while there was continuous disruption in some others.

The Vice President appealed to all political parties to see that Parliament and Legislatures function effectively and also to ensure that the quality of debates was raised.

He said, "There is a feeling among the people that the level of public discourse is going down."