New rules ban UP legislators from carrying mobiles, flags

Lucknow, Aug 8 (IANS) Legislators in Uttar Pradesh will no longer be able to carry mobile phones, flags, symbols of protest and arms inside the Assembly House.

The state assembly’s rule committee chairman Rampal Verma tabled the 156-page draft rulebook in the House on Monday which makes these recommendations.

“Members will not carry mobile phones in the House. Members will neither bring arms nor display them. Members will not display flags, symbol (to display) or any other displayable item in the House,” read the proposed rules of conduct for the members.

The members, mainly from the opposition, use flags, banners and placards to display slogans and lodge their protest on various issues.

Other rules proposed in the rulebook provide that ministers will now be required to give information, along with reasons to the assembly secretariat, if they are not able to reply to the short notice questions of members in the House.

The draft rulebook bars the members from smoking, tearing any document and talking loudly in the lobbies that will make them audible in the House.

The draft rulebook provides that no member will stand or sit showing his back to the speaker. It tells the members not to go to the speaker (chair) themselves. If necessary, they will be able to send a slip to the speaker through the officer sitting there.

The draft rulebook also proposes to restrict the number of supplementary questions to two and bring down the requirement of minimum number of days for notice to summon the House from 14 to seven days.

As replacing the rulebook is an elaborate exercise, the business advisory committee of the House has decided to invite suggestions.

A discussion on the draft rulebook will take place on Wednesday. The new rulebook will be adopted on the last day of the monsoon session and it will be effective in the next session.

The Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly proposes to adopt the new rulebook after nearly 65 years in view of the use of electronic devices following introduction of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) that has made the House proceedings paperless.

It had adopted the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly in 1958.
Television was introduced on an experimental basis only in 1959. The state assembly’s proceedings are, however, telecast live for some years now.

The draft rulebook proposes that the members will not refer to government officers by name in the House. The members will not level any allegations against persons occupying the Constitutional offices and will not point to the visitors or other persons sitting in the galleries. A limit of 200 words has been set for information to raise an issue that may not be a question of propriety.

The draft rulebook provides a format for giving information about the arrest, conviction and release of members by the judicial or executive officers.

It also provides a format for correction in the given information.

It may be mentioned that the state legislative assembly allows the members to attend the House virtually.