Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said no word has been banned from use in Parliament and members are free to express their views while maintaining the decorum of the House.
"Earlier a book of such unparliamentary words used to be released... to avoid wastage of papers, we have put it on internet. No words have been banned, we have issued a compilation of the words that have been expunged," Birla said.
The Lok Sabha Speaker said no one can snatch from the MPs their right to express their views freely.
He said people unaware of parliamentary practices were making all kinds of comments and asserted that legislatures were independent of government.
"It is a routine practice continuing since 1959," he said referring to the release of the booklet compiling lists of words and expressions deemed unparliamentary.
Birla said words chosen for expunging have been used by members of the ruling party as well as the Opposition. "Nothing as such selective expunging of words used by only the Opposition," he added.
Birla's comments come amid a massive backlash over an updated list of words deemed unfit for use in Parliament.
According to a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, words like 'jumlajeevi', 'dohra charitra', 'baal buddhi', and 'Snoopgate' have been declared 'unparliamentary' in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Words and expressions like 'anarchist', 'Shakuni', 'tanashah', 'taanashahi', 'dictatorial', 'Jaichand', 'Khalistani', 'vinash purush', and 'khoon se kheti' are also listed in the booklet and would be expunged if used during debates or otherwise in both the Houses.
(With PTI inputs)
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