Jaipur: Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Thursday expressed concern over practice of calling an Assembly session without prorogation, saying that it is “dangerous for democracy”.
Addressing the concluding session of the All India Conference of Presiding Officers in the state Legislative Assembly, he said: “The practice of calling the session directly without proroguing it is dangerous for democratic systems. Due to this, legislators do not get additional opportunities for the prescribed number of questions and constitutional procedures are not completed.”
“There is a need to pay serious attention to the formal prorogation of the legislative assemblies and the convening of a new session,” he said.
Expressing concern over the low number of meetings in the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), the Governor said that the members should effectively discuss the issues related to the public with full preparation.
He said that MLAs should be present during the debates on important subjects in the House. He also emphasised on promoting the Private Member’s Bill. He said that a quick system should be developed to provide research material related to major decisions related to parliamentary proceedings in the Houses.
Speaking on discussions that ordinance bills are not passed by Governor, Mishra said: “Governor is not a person, he is a constitutional body and when he is satisfied on constitutional grounds that the ordinance is justified, then only he gives approval to it.
He said that the power to summon the assembly session on the recommendation of the state government is vested in the governor.
Further, he described Parliament and Legislative Assemblies as temples of democracy and said that people’s representatives should rise above politics here and consider issues of public interest sensitively.
He said that whatever debates or business take place here, it should be for the sustainable development of the common man.
He said that the presiding officers have an important role in parliamentary democracy and they are also guardians of the powers and privileges of the members of the Legislature in a way.
The presiding officers should play their effective role to strengthen democracy, he added.
He said that the Speaker of the House is the final interpreter of the rules relating to the functioning of the House.
–IANS
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