Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 16 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday said that uproar, sloganeering and adjournment of the House in a planned manner are not good signs for the country's democracy and that they diminish the dignity of democracy itself.
Om Birla, who is on a one-day visit to Mumbai, delivered the inaugural address at the First National Legislators Conference held at the Jio World Convention Centre, today.
Birla lauded the initiative of holding the first-ever Legislators Conference and hoped that the discussions during its various Sessions would go a long way in empowering and strengthening our legislative bodies.
He observed that as the oldest, largest and most vibrant democracy in the world, India has always supremely upheld democratic systems.
Democratic institutions, Birla recalled, have not only existed but have thrived and flourished in different regions in India for millennia.
Drawing the attention of the audience to the democratic journey of 75 years of India's Independence, he observed that the nation has made notable advancements and increased the scope of development in education, health, infrastructure, etc. which has had an overwhelming positive impact on the lives of the people. He said that legislative institutions have also similarly contributed to this momentous journey and they have evolved into strong representative institutions focused on public welfare.
Referring to the role of legislative bodies in ensuring the socio-economic welfare of the people, the Lok Sabha Speaker emphasized that the functioning of our legislative bodies should be conducted in a dignified manner. He, however, lamented the fact that recent incidents of commotion and interruptions in the Houses are a matter of grave concern. He cautioned that uproar, sloganeering and adjournment of the House in a planned manner are not good signs for our democracy which diminish the dignity of democracy itself.
Birla expressed the view that being the highest public representative institution, legislators are expected to work as role model for other institutions and organizations of the country.
In this context, he opined that legislators should maintain high standards of discipline and decency in their public life as incidents of unruly behaviour tarnish their image. Being the representatives of the people, they should always try to hold the executive accountable to the House and House to the people. In this context, he highlighted that the role of the legislator is one of great responsibility as they were the crucial link between the citizen and the executive.
As such, their sole responsibility is to effectively convey issues of the public interest, wishes, aspirations and needs of the populace to the executive. He emphasized that, in this perspective, it is crucial that discussions and dialogues in legislatures should be result oriented to effectively address the concerns.
Referring to the role of legislators in the context of modern democracy, Birla counselled that not only are they expected to solve problems through discussion and dialogue but to ensure that such discussions are productive and achieve their intended objectives.
Birla further observed that democracy is our moral system and thus it is imperative on the part of the legislators to self-analyze the shortcomings and find solutions to the challenges of the future. He opined that if solutions to the problems are not found by discussion and dialogue, then there will be a judicial intervention which is not appropriate for democracy. As such, there should be extensive discussions and debates on policies and issues which can make our legislatures effective, he opined.
Elaborating on the role of the Constitution in shaping democracy in India, he added that as legislators they are expected to uphold the virtues of freedom, equality, and justice given by the Constitution.
Birla illustrated that laws framed in the legislatures are the basis of all rights of the people. These very laws strengthened the country and the people and thus they needed to conscientiously work for strengthening them.
During the day, he also inaugurated the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Innovation Expo. The Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Innovation Expo seeks to showcase Good Governance Models, Social Innovation and Innovative Development Models, Flagship Programs by State Governments, Institute, Individuals etc.
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis; Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar and Presiding Officers of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils also took part in the Conference. Besides, former Lok Sabha Speakers, Shivraj Patil, Meira Kumar and Sumitra Mahajan also attended the function.
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