Rajya Sabha new rules bar dharnas, strikes in Parliament premises, Opposition slams move

This comes after an alleged gag order banning a number of words in Parliament was issued Thursday, triggering a massive row.

Though the Opposition has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of muzzling voices, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has clarified it was not a "ban" but "advisories".

A new booklet issued by the Lok Sabha Thursday stated words like 'jumlajeevi', 'baal buddhi', 'Covid spreader', 'Snoopgate' and even commonly used words like 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'corrupt', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' will be considered unparliamentary.

Slamming the latest rule by the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeting, "Vishguru's latest salvo — D(h)arna Mana Hai!"

Reacting to the controversy, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, "The bankrupt politics of India’s opposition has hit another ridiculous low. Amusing as it may be but top on their priority is compilation of unparliamentary words in the Parliament! Is this something that started after 2014, reference point for all meltdowns? Answer is: No."

"This list is brought out every year. The list is not a new suggestion, but merely a compilation of words already expunged in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or State Assemblies. It also contains list of words considered unparliamentary in Parliaments of Commonwealth countries."