New Delhi: Taking a dig at frequent spectacle of a few Parliamentarians creating uproar in the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi on September 8 said that spreading literacy would also benefit in choosing a right candidate by the people.

"We will also be benefited, as people will not elect those who create pandemonium in the House," Joshi, who is often faced with the unenviable task of restoring calm in the Lok Sabha, said.

He was participating in the International Literacy Day celebrations, along with Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat N Chandrababu Naidu and Narendra Modi respectively.

In yet another tongue-in-cheek remark about the behaviour of Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker remarked that he was finding it uncomfortable to address the gathering, as it was a "quiet" one. "I am not used to addressing such a quiet gathering," he said, evoking peals of laughter.

Underlining the need for spreading literacy, Joshi said that the decade from 1990 to 2000 should be termed as "literacy decade" as the country achieved a 13 per cent growth in literacy.

Recalling President A P J Abdul Kalam's dream to make the country a developed nation by 2020, he said that every citizen should become literate to achieve this goal.

Joshi said that post-literacy campaign was necessary to improve the literacy level in the country.

PTI