'Unparliamentary' words row: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla says no words banned from usage, calls such listing a routine exercise

New Delhi, July 14

After nationwide debate on Lok Sabha Secretariat’s booklet that has furnished a long list of words which would be considered as unparliamentary to use by lawmakers, the lower house speaker Om Birla on Thursday cleared the air on this issue stating that no words have been banned from usage in Lok Sabha. Birla said that this is a routine exercise as words to be expunged during the course of debate have been listed from time to time since 1954.

Lok Sabha speaker Birla said the lower house secretariat compendium of unparliamentary words contains words expunged by presiding officers of LS, RS and state assemblies, for example the word “ashamed” was expunged in context in 2012.

“Whenever a word spoken by an MP is expunged, notice is issued to MP concerned. If they reason with the secretariat we take their views on board. The words in LS book only contain words which were unparliamentary when spoken in a certain context. If opposition had an objection at the time of expunging of words MPs should have raised objections then” said Birla.

He further said it is wrong to blame government as house is an autonomous body and words documented as unparliamentary have been spoken by both side MPs.

“Can’t debate on each word. The words in LS compendium are words spoken by both sides, it’s not as if only words used by opposition were expunged. For instance koyla chor has also been expunged. Who would have spoken this?” asks Birla.