Sitaram Yechury. Photo: PTI
New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday condemned a "dictatorial" order that said the members of Parliament cannot conduct any protest action in the precincts of the Parliament House and called upon the Centre to immediately withdraw these measurers.
"MPs routinely conduct protest actions to make their point of view on all important matters concerning the country and the people. This has been their democratic right since the Indian Parliament began functioning," the CPI(M) politburo said in a statement.
The Left party also hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the expansion of the list of unparliamentary words and said the "new direction" even includes often-used expressions against the government such as "incompetence".
"This order banning protests constitutes the most brazen authoritarian assault on Parliament, its independent functioning and the inalienable rights of the MPs.
"This unilateral decision, without consulting the political parties represented in Parliament, is brazenly undemocratic. Worse, this is done on the eve of the commencement of the Parliament session," the statement said.
"The politburo of the CPI(M) calls upon the Union government to immediately withdraw these anti-democratic measurers," it added.
Demonstrations, dharnas and religious ceremonies cannot be held in the precincts of the Parliament House, according to a circular issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, which has drawn the ire of the opposition even as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has insisted that such notices are being issued for years.
The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has said the circular has not been issued for the first time and the advice has been reiterated from time to time. It has said such a circular is issued normally ahead of every session of Parliament.
PTI
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