Mumbai, 16 June 2023

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri 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. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri. Devendra Fadnavis; Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Adv. Rahul Narwekar and Presiding Officers of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils  also took part in the Conference. Former Lok Sabha Speakers, Shri Shivraj Patil, Smt Meira Kumar and Smt. Sumitra Mahajan remained present at the function.

Shri. Birla lauded the initiative of holding of 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, Shri Birla recalled, have not only existed, but have thrived and flourished in different regions in India for millennia. Shri Birla felt that democracy comes naturally to Indians and is imbibed in our conduct, thoughts and behavior and it was a natural progression that Independent India opted for parliamentary democracy as our system of governance.

Drawing the attention of the audience to the democratic journey of 75 years of India’s Independence, Shri  Birla 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 felt 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 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 sign for our democracy which diminish the dignity of democracy itself. 

Shri 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. 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, Shri 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.  Shri 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, Shri 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 for strengthening them. 

He sounded a note of caution that  the public representative must not only be accountable to their  people, but also to ensure transparency in all their actions. He urged the participants to share their best practices and learn from each other on this unique platform and leverage public confidence in the Houses and people's representatives.

During the day, Shri Birla 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.

NM

***

Source : LOK SABHA SECRETARIA

Follow us on social media: @PIBMumbai    /PIBMumbai    /pibmumbai  pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com