President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee today called upon political parties and leaders to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament and legislative assemblies and examine whether some rules needs to be amended for this purpose.

He was addressing the Kerala Legislative Assembly in Thiruvnanthapuram after unveiling a plaque marking the beginning of a programme to make the Legislative Assembly campus environment friendly.

The President expressed concern that the time devoted by legislators for discussions on budgetary matters are gradually declining. He warned that if legislators continue their unruly behaviour and disrupt the proceedings of the House, it will create a negative impression in the minds of people. He said it should be the endeavor of every legislator to ensure that the quality of debate is of high order befitting his stature.

He called upon legislators to consider examining the possibility of post approval scrutiny of budgetary allocations made to various ministries. He said for taking corrective decisions in future, legislators must examine whether post approval scrutiny of budgetary demands that escape the notice of the Accountant General and the Public Accounts Committee is possible after budget is fully approved.

Kerala Governor H R Bharadwaj, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan also spoke on the occasion.