New Delhi, April 5 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said it is the responsibility of all public representatives to uphold the dignity and credibility of democratic institutions. The Speaker made the statement after inaugurating an orientation programme organised by the Lok Sabha Secretariat for members of the Maharashtra Assembly and Maharashtra Legislative Council here. “The dignity of representative institutions depends on the conduct and behaviour of the public representatives. Lack of dignity of legislatures is a threat to democracy,” he said. “One must reflect on issues like decreasing number of sittings in legislatures and increasing instances of disruptions in their proceedings so that the peoples’ trust in these institutions continues to remain intact,” Birla said. He said that MLAs and MLCs should read old debates held in the House, which will prove helpful in in-depth understanding of various matters. DS MR