Gandhinagar: Expressing concern on rising instances of logjam in the Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday said there exists a general notion that nothing concrete happens in the House with people gradually losing faith in democratic institutions.
"There is a general notion among public that despite spending huge amount of money, nothing happens in Parliament. There is a gradual decrease in the trust people put on democratic institutions. Such negative beliefs show that people are losing faith in us," Mahajan said.
She was speaking at the 78th edition of All India Presiding Officers Conference on Friday.
Citing the example of 2001 Parliament terror attack, she said, "When terrorists attacked the Parliament, our security guards gave supreme sacrifice and prevented them from entering the House. On this, someone sarcastically commented, 'how come not a single MP was killed in such a massive attack'".
"This comment shook me to the core. Is that how we (MPs) are perceived by the people? However, I firmly believe that people's faith is still there, we just need to strengthen it, so that negative beliefs do not create a permanent place in their minds. We have to think seriously about it," she said.
Addressing the audience comprising of speakers and deputy speakers of legislative assemblies from various states, Mahajan emphasized the role of a Speaker in regaining the fading trust among people.
"Speaker sits above all others in the House. It is upon us how we use our powers. A speaker can do many things. We should see that discussions do not go in wrong direction. We should not just give orders but also ensure that dialogue takes place in the House," she suggested.
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