The Madhya Pradesh Assembly Secretariat has prohibited protests and sloganeering in the Assembly premises in the upcoming Monsoon session that is scheduled to start from July 28, with the move drawing a criticism from the Opposition Congress.
The ban was issued in a circular dated July 10 issued by A.P. Singh, Principal Secretary, M.P. Assembly concerning security protocols ahead of the upcoming session.
“Hon’ble Members are also requested that under the Standing Order 94(2) of Hon’ble Speaker, sloganeering and demonstrations in the Assembly premises by Hon’ble Members are prohibited,” said the circular, that also includes various other security protocols.
Slamming the move, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar said that the decision was taken “under pressure from the government”.
“The government, which gives false and fake statistics in the Assembly, is issuing such rules and orders by pressurizing the Speaker to protect itself from being exposed. This is the murder of democracy,” he said, while reiterating the Congress’s demand of live streaming the House proceedings.
“Article 194 of the Constitution gives special powers to the MLAs to raise the public’s issues in the House. We strongly oppose this move and like before, we will raise public issues loudly in the upcoming session,” he said.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Singh, however, said that this was a routine circular that is issued for security purposes ahead of each session.
“There is no new or special provision in it. No ban has been imposed separately. Such circulars are issued before each session with such requests and the rest is left on the members’ wisdom,” he said.
Published – July 26, 2025 12:58 am IST
