New Delhi, June 16 (Agency) Lok Sabha Speaker 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 on Friday. 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, Lok Sabha Secretariat communique said.
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, it said. Drawing the attention of the audience to the democratic journey of 75 years of India’s Independence, Birla observed that the nation has made notable advancements and increased the scope of development in education, health and infrastructure, which has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of the people, it said. He felt that legislative institutions have also similarly contributed to this momentous journey and they have evolved into strong representative institutions focused on public welfare, it added. Referring to the role of legislative bodies in ensuring socio-economic welfare of the people, the 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, the statement said. Birla expressed the view that being the highest public representative institution, legislators are expected to work as a 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 behavior 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, it said. 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 judicial intervention which is not appropriate for the 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, Birla added that as legislators they are expected to uphold the virtues of freedom, equality, justice given by the Constitution. He 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 to strengthen them.