Tamil Nadu bans mobile phones in assembly

The Tamil Nadu assembly has banned members from carrying mobile phones inside the House during sessions. Assembly speaker D Jayakumar, however, did not provide any reason for his decision. But the move comes in the wake of a DMK member using his mobile phone to record assembly proceedings and being banned for a brief period from the House. The decision also comes close on the heels of a scam in the Karnataka assembly when some ministers were allegedly caught watching porn clips on mobile phones. “All members, including ministers, besides mediapersons and government officers should not take their mobile phones into the assembly hall,” said the speaker, reading out a one-page statement in the House on Monday. Tamil Nadu perhaps is the only state to ban mobile phones in the assembly. The speaker said pigeonhole lockers would be provided for all the memberswhere they could store their mobile phones before entering the House. Stating that pay phones have been fixed around the assembly hall, including in the canteen and members’ lounges, the speaker said, “All MLAs will be given smart cards with talk value valid for one year. Initially it would have a talk value of Rs 70. The members can later recharge the cards at BSNL counters on the premises”. According to secretariat sources, the decision to ban use of mobile phones in the House was taken after the matter was discussed in the assembly rule committee meeting in February. DMK leader T R Baalu’s son T R B Rajaa, a first-time MLA, was banned from the House for 10 days for using his mobile phone to record assembly proceedings. Until Monday, rules permitted MLAs and other officials to carry mobile phones inside the assembly hall though they were strictly prohibited from using them. The decision to ban their use in the House has not been greeted well by legislators.