Speaker parries question on action against unruly members

Speaker Meira Kumar today parried questions whether she would act against unruly members in the last session of Lok Sabha beginning tomorrow which is set to be stormy on the issue of Telangana bill.
"You are asking me a question before I have arrived at the base of the bridge. Let me come to the bridge, then I will tell you what I am going to do", she told reporters adding she wanted a "grand finale" to the Lok Sabha.
She was asked whether she would take steps like suspension of members for disrupting the House proceedings at a time when several major bills, including the Telangana bill, will be taken up for consideration.

"I have appealed to all the leaders who were present and all of them without exception have told me that they will cooperative fully. It is going to be the last session of 15th Lok Sabha. We should have a grand finale," she said.
Kumar dismissed suggestions that the fact that the 15th Lok Sabha was the least productive in independent India showed that parliamentary democracy has failed.
"I will never say that our parliamentary democracy has failed. There are many places in the world which started off with parliamentary democracy but unfortunately they were not able to sustain it and they failed whereas inspite of having manyfold difficulties, complexities, odds against our own parliamentary democracy, we have succeeded.

"We have never used the word failure so far as our parliamentary democracy is concerned. Yes, there are ups and there are downs in any journey so that should be taken in its stride.", she added.