There has been a flood of letters complimenting Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for his 'no work, no pay' proposal for MPs who disrupt the proceedings of Parliament.
Though the idea did not find favour at an all-party meeting convened by Chatterjee last month, he has received kudos for his efforts to discipline MPs.
A letter written by Arvind R Doshi of Mumbai said an overwhelming 90 per cent of votes in an opinion poll in a prominent Marathi daily were in favour of his proposal.
Doshi also suggested that in case of the death of a member, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha should adjourn for a shorter period of time, say half an hour, and then resume for greater utilisation of time.
The Speaker was also told that his proposal was an excellent example for all state assemblies on the principle of 'yatha raja, tatha praja (like master, like servant).'
Dinesh M Shah from Vadodara said he was 'elated' at the proposal, but lamented that the move has been scuttled.
Manohar Lal Gupta of Sanatan Dharma Sabha of Bathinda went to the extent of suggesting to the Speaker that he use the services of marshals for curbing the unparliamentary behaviour of members.
Former MP L M Singhvi said political parties should be held accountable for misbehaviour by MPs in the House.
The letters came against the backdrop of the all-party meeting rejecting several proposals, including one calling for the suspension of MPs who troop into the well of the House for five days.
At the all-party meeting held on August 23, MPs had agreed that Question Hour should not be disrupted, barring exceptional cases. They also accepted the suggestion that the House should have at least 100 sittings in a year.
Chatterjee has expressed anguish at the frequent disruption of proceedings in the Lok Sabha, which lead to waste of precious time and public money. He once even remarked in disgust that 'this Parliament should be abolished.'
The expenditure per minute in running the Lok Sabha is likely to increase to Rs 24,632 in 2007-08, up from the latest Budget estimate of Rs 22,089 in 2006-07.
The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament has witnessed the naming of a member, with the Speaker warning that more such action could follow if MPs failed to behave.
The current session of Parliament has witnessed frequent disruptions and adjournments over various issues, particularly the Indo-US nuclear deal, and there is speculation that the session might be curtailed by adjourning both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sine die before its scheduled conclusion on September 14.
Leaders of political parties have been told that the waste of time tends to lower the dignity of the House in the eyes of the public and results in the wastage of financial resources provided by tax-payers for running Parliament.
Though presiding officers of legislative bodies in the country have been making concerted efforts to address the problem of breach of discipline and lack of decorum, these issues have been getting more accentuated over the years and have raised question marks about the future and the efficacy of parliamentary democracy, the leaders have been told.