Congress says Rahul Gandhi's mic muted. Who has fingers on mic switches
Congress says Rahul Gandhi's mic muted. Who has fingers on mic switches
The Congress claimed on Friday claimed that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's mic was turned off as he raised the issue of the NEET paper leak in the Lok Sabha. The Opposition party blamed the government for it. Itshared a video on their X handle where Rahul Gandhi was seen requesting Speaker Om Birla for accessto a microphone.
Speaker Om Birla responded that he was not in charge of the microphones of MPs in the Lok Sabha. "The discussion should be on the President's address. Other matters will not be recorded in the House," Birla said.
As chaos unfolded in the Lok Sabha, the Speaker adjourned the House till July 1.
If the Speaker doesn't control the mics,who really switches on and off the mics in Parliament?
WHO CONTROLS THE SWITCHES OF THE MICS?
Each Member of Parliament has an assigned seat, and the microphones are affixed to the desks with an allocated number.
Both the houses of Parliament have a chamber where the sound technicians sit. They belong to a group of staff which transcribes and records the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
This chamber has an electronic board with assigned seat numbers.
The microphones are switched on or off from here. It has a glass facade and the staff can see the Chair and the MPs.
Mics are switched on or off by these staffers in both the houses of Parliament, experts earlier told IndiaToday.in.
"Microphones are activated under the directions of the Chair of the Rajya Sabha. They are only turned on when a member is called by the Chair," P Wilson, DMK Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate, earlier told IndiaToday.in.
"In the Zero Hour, a three-minute time limit is given to a member, and when the three minutes are over, the microphone is automatically switched off. In cases of debates on bills, time is allocated for each party. The Chair adheres to this time and, at its discretion, grants one or two minutes for a member to complete," added Wilson.
TAKE TURNS TO SPEAK, SPECIAL MENTIONS, WORD LIMIT
"The microphone of an MP might be switched off if it's not their turn to speak. In the case of Special Mentions, MPs have a limit of reading out 250 words. The moment it is read by the member, the microphone is switched off by the staff in the chamber," a journalist who covers Parliament proceedings told IndiaToday.in.
As the seat numbers are allocated for each MP, they are expected to speak from their assigned seats, according to experts.
A dedicated, well-trained staff controls the switches of the entire microphone system in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The functioning is carried out according to the guidelines.
Sometimes, we get to hear the voices of the MP, even when it is not their turn.
"During disruptions, since entire opposition voices are heard loudly, the microphone of the Chair or the member who is on his legs, picks up the voices, and that's how it's heard," said P Wilson.
It is only the Chair, the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who can direct the switching on and off of mics under special circumstances.