Hyderabad: In a parliamentary democracy, the Speaker is one who legitimizes the platform of dissenting arguments by upholding traditions while protecting values. It is the centennial occasion for the Conference of Speakers, which plays a key role in promoting democracy. In connection with the Constitution Day celebrations, the 80th Conference was held inspired by the unifier of the country Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's spirit of the Statue of Unity, in spite of the Covid constraint.
Although the debates in the legislatures reflect the aspirations of the people, the smooth conduct of the proceedings of the Houses has become a major question mark over the decades. In a meeting at Dehra Dun Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla mentioned that it was the first time since 1972 that a total of all 20 questions were answered in zero-hour during the winter session (November 27) of the Parliament.
The agenda on the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which enshrines the Anti-Defection Law, along with the report of the committee appointed last year on the powers of the Speakers stipulates that ‘amicable cooperation between the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary’ will be the main topic of discussion this year. There is no denying that the Speakers should pledge that they would try to make the legislatures more accountable while strengthening and empowering them to uphold the constitutional values.
With a new interpretation to the KYC as 'Know Your Constitution', the Prime Minister has been urging all to bring the sacred book -- the Constitution -- closer to the people. There is no doubt that the majority of problems will disappear if the members of the legislature and the Speakers are faithfully committed to those constitutional rules. Today's challenge is to make the Speaker's position a symbol of constitutional inspiration.
“The Speaker represents the independence of the House and its lofty ideals. Since the House represents the country, the Speaker stands as a symbol of a nation's freedom and dignity. Hence that position must be dignified." These were the remarks made by the first Prime Minister Nehru in 1948 when he unveiled the portrait of Vithal Bhai Patel. Elected to the position of President of the Legislative Assembly in 1925, Vithal Bhai resigned from the Swaraj Party following the British House of Commons tradition.
Many of those who were subsequently elected Speakers adhered to the same line and raised the high standards. Mavulankar Anande, the first Speaker, made it clear that once a person has been elected as Speaker, the fact that no party should compete to support him as long as he wants to continue in office in order to maintain impartiality as has traditionally been established in Britain.
Although the Speakers' Conferences of 1951 and ’53 recommended following the British tradition, the Congressional Working Committee of 1954 rejected those proposals. The VS Page Committee, set up by the 1967 Conference of Speakers, recommended that the Speakers should sever all ties with the party they represent. The 2001 Conference recommended that Speakers should maintain their "neutrality" and abstain from political activity. The Speaker of Jharkhand, Nandhari became the leader of the defectors in 2003 and used his constitutional position indiscriminately to advance in the race for Chief Ministership.
Political affiliations have been influencing on the decision-making power of the Speaker on defections and been damaging the reputation of this important constitutional position. So far, the conference has set up about twenty-five committees and received reports. But, how many of them have been implemented? The prestige of the Speaker's position will be raised only when it upholds the ideals of the Constitution.
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