Rulings by chair not to be criticised, MPs reminded ahead of Parl session

Rulings given by the chair should not be criticised directly or indirectly in or outside the House and members should not raise slogans, including "Vande Mataram" and "Jai Hind", MPs have been reminded ahead of the Parliament session beginning Monday.

The members have also been reminded that displaying "exhibits" on the floor of the House is "not in order".

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has come out with excerpts from the "Handbook for Members of Rajya Sabha", drawing the attention of the members to parliamentary customs and conventions and parliamentary etiquette.

The excerpts were published in a Rajya Sabha bulletin issued on July 15.

The session begins on July 22 and is slated to conclude on August 12.

"The decorum and the seriousness of the proceedings of the House require that there should be no 'thanks', 'thank you', 'Jai Hind', 'Vande Mataram' or any other slogans raised in the House," the bulletin said.

It noted that rulings are given by the chair according to the precedents of the House, and where there is no precedent, the usual parliamentary practice is followed. "Rulings given by the Chair should not be criticised directly or indirectly inside or outside the House," the bulletin said, citing the handbook.

Referring to parliamentary etiquette, it said words containing insinuations, offensive and unparliamentary expressions should be scrupulously avoided.

"When the Chair holds that a particular word or expression is unparliamentary, it should be immediately withdrawn without any attempt to raise any debate over it," the handbook underlined.

It also said every member should "bow to the Chair" while entering or leaving the House as also before taking or leaving the seat.

When any member offers a criticism of another member or a minister, it observed that the latter is entitled to expect that the critic should be present in the House to hear his or her reply.

"To be absent when the latter is replying is a breach of parliamentary etiquette," it pointed out.