Days after the members of Parliament took oath in the 18th Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla amended the rules related to oath-taking, barring elected members from adding any remark to the oath, including sloganeering. According to the latest amendments, Speaker Birla has added a fresh clause to 'Direction 1' to the 'Directions by the Speaker'. The new clause was added to regulate certain matters related to the functioning of the Lower House, which are not specifically mentioned in the rules.
Clause 3 added to Direction 1
The new clause, identified as Clause 3 of 'Direction 1' states that a member shall make and subscribe to oath or affirmation, and "shall not use any word or expression or make any remark as a prefix or suffix to the form of oath or affirmation".
The rule comes after many MP-elects of the Lok Sabha took the oath and added remarks like 'Jai Samvidhan', 'Jai Palestine' and 'Jai Hindu Rashtra' among others, which were objected to by several members. The sloganeering during oath also initiated a verbal spat between the opposition bench and the treasury bench. The Speaker had urged the MP-elects to stick to the prescribed format.
What slogans were raised?
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had also alleged that several members used the solemn occasion of taking oath or making affirmation to send a political message. While Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi hurled slogans of 'Jai Hind' and 'Jai Samvidhan', AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi triggered controversy by hailing 'Jai Palestine'. Moreover, newly elected MP Chandrasekhar Azad raised the slogan of 'Jay Bheem'. Meanwhile MP from Bareilly Chhatra Pal Singh Gangwar raised the slogan 'Jai Hindu Rashtra', which was opposed by the opposition.
(With PTI Inputs)
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