Jaipur, Sep 15 Rajasthan Congress MLAs Shimla Nayak and Geeta Barwar, on Monday, addressed the media at the State Congress headquarters in Jaipur and issued a statement regarding the violation of privacy of Opposition women MLAs in the state Assembly.
They said that the installation of video cameras specifically directed at the seating area of Opposition women MLAs is not only against the rules of the Assembly but also an outright violation of legislative traditions.
Cameras and microphones are meant to broadcast the speeches and proceedings of the House live to the public and for official records, they added.
However, cameras installed in the section where Opposition Congress women MLAs sit are being misused, the two Congress MLAs said.
"These cameras are not part of the public broadcast; rather, they have been set up in a way that their private conversations can be recorded and monitored, they added.
According to the two Congress MLAs, the video footage from these cameras is accessible only to the Speaker of the Assembly, who continues to monitor these recordings even after the proceedings of the House are adjourned.
"Such acts amount to constant surveillance on women legislators, infringing upon their right to privacy and dignity."
They called this monitoring not just ethically questionable but also legally untenable.
The MLAs stressed that the state Assembly is a place for open debate and discussion, not covert surveillance.
"Recording conversations outside of House proceedings and keeping a watch on women MLAs through hidden or selectively placed cameras is an attack on their constitutional rights and undermines the democratic spirit of the institution," they said.
The Congress women MLAs have already submitted their complaint to the State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully demanding immediate removal of these cameras and an end to illegal monitoring.
They asserted that such practices demean women representatives and are aimed at silencing their voices.
The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee condemned this gross violation of privacy and legislative decorum and calls for urgent corrective action.
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