By Deepan Joshi

If you are a Parliamentraian in India, you may not be able to use the word “jumlajeevi,” at your place of work anymore. Nor “baal buddhi (childlike intelligence),” ashamed, abused, Covid spreader, betrayed or incompetent. All these and some more words have been declared unparliamentary in a new booklet released by the office of the Lok Sabha or lower house ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session, which starts from Monday, July 18.

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The booklet was released on Wednesday, July 13, which gives the lawmakers five days to practice what they must not say. It lists at least 40 words and expressions that are sought to be expunged if used in the Lok Sabha or the upper house Rajya Sabha. The list is a guide more than diktat and the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker will have the last word in expunging words and expressions. 

The list has meanwhile created a stir, with #unparliamentarywords trending on social boards amid a barrage of protest posts by Opposition leaders. Most of the words that the booklet seeks to censor are those that the Opposition liberally uses to attack the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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“Jumlajeevi” seems to be getting the most attention. But also denounced are the words “snoopgate,” – used by the Opposition to attack PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged illegal surveillance of a young woman – and ’Shakuni’, dictatorial, ‘taanashah’, ’taanashahi (dictatorship)’, ’Jaichand’ and ’vinash purush (man of destruction)’. 

Also sought to be made unparliamentary hereon are the words ’Dohra charitra (double character)’, ’nikamma (useless)’, ’nautanki (over-acting)’, and ’behri sarkar (deaf governement).’ 

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The Congress’ Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the definition of “unparliamentary” now seemed to be, “Words used in discussions and debates which correctly describe the PM’s handling of the government, now banned from being spoken.”

Mahua Moitra, a very vocal member of Parliament from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, tweeted that the new list “does not include Sanghi”, adding that the government has “Basically taken all words used by the opposition to describe how BJP destroying India & banned them”.

Some words and expressions that have been declared unparliamentary from time to time by the Chair in different legislative bodies in the country as well as in Commonwealth Parliaments, have also been compiled by the Lok Sabha Secretariat for ready reference for the future.

The list of includes any aspersions made against the Chair in both the houses in either English or Hindi, which shall be considered as unparliamentary and are expunged from the records of Parliament.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman or Lok Sabha Speaker vets the words spoken in the house during the session and unparliamentary words are expunged by the Chair. Such words do not form part of Parliament records of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Some of the English words listed as unparliamentary include bloodshed, bloody, cheated, childishness, corrupt, coward, criminal and crocodile tears.

Besides words like disgrace, donkey, drama, eyewash, fudge, hooliganism, hypocrisy, mislead, lie and untrue would also be prohibited for use in Parliament.

Hindi words listed as unparliamentary include ’gaddar’, ’girgit’, ’ghadiyali ansu’,’asatya’, ’ahankaar’, ’kala din’, ’kala bazaari’, ’chamcha’, ’chamchagiri’, ’chelas’, and ’khareed farokht’.