Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today took a strong stand in support of the electorate’s “right to recall elected representatives who ignore the interests of the people and are guilty of malfeasance and improper conduct or indulge in corrupt or criminal activities.” 

"If a member is found to be insensitive, incompetent, corrupt and indifferent to the problems of the people, his duties or indulge in activities or behave in a manner unbecoming of a people’s representative, I feel, his constituents should be in a position to demand his recall before the expiry of his term," said Chatterjee, Inaugurating the 73rd Conference of the Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India at the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here on Sunday.

The three-day conference is being hosted by Haryana for the first time. It has a a three-point agenda before it: time management in the house and code of conduct for members; need to strengthen public faith in democratic institutions; and terrorism-a threat to national unity: role of legislatures. 

Chatterjee, who is famous for being the most forthright person when it comes to the functioning of democratic institutions, said that he was worried over the unruly behaviour and wastage of time by MPs. 

"I believe the time has come when we must seriously consider the desirability of having the Zero Hour, because it has turned out to be the most unruly period of the House proceedings," he said.