MPs should not use House for public relations campaigns: Om Birla

New Delhi:Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday instructed the MPs not to use the House for public relations campaigns.

“Members come to the House and do public relations campaigns here. They leave the House and go to different MPs and senior leaders to meet and talk,” the Speaker said.

He said that he does not want to name the MPs but if they continue with the practice he (Speaker) will be forced to take their names.

“I will call them out by names if they do not stop this practice,” the Speaker said.

He then allowed Sayani Ghosh, the newly elected TMC MP from Jadavpur, West Bengal, to speak on the grant demands related to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.

During her speech, as Ghosh began thanking her party leaders Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, the Speaker reminded her of parliamentary traditions, emphasising that leaders should not be thanked in this manner during House discussions and that she should focus on the topic at hand.

Ghosh also attempted to discuss an incident at the Niti Aayog meeting, which the Speaker did not permit.

Earlier, Lok Sabha resumed and the government introduced several key bills in the House. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Appropriation Bill and Finance Bill. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented legislation on readjusting the representation of Scheduled Tribes in Goa's Assembly constituencies.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha will see the introduction of the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday.

Reports have also suggested the government may propose amendments to the Waqf Act, potentially limiting the Waqf Board's authority to designate properties. These changes would reportedly include mandatory verification for property claims.