1.
I am indeed happy to be present amidst you on the occasion of unveiling of the
photographs of the Presidents of the Central Legislative Assembly and the
portraits of the former Speakers of the Lok Sabha today. As Presiding Officers
of our apex elected body, these distinguished personalities made significant
contributions towards strengthening the edifice of our parliamentary democracy
through their innovative rulings, directions, observations and initiatives. As
a mark of our respect to these stalwarts, their photographs and portraits have
been installed today in this temple of democracy.
2.
Indian Parliament is the Gangotri of our democracy. It represents the will and
the aspirations of one billion plus people and is the link between the people
and the government. If Gangotri gets polluted, neither Ganga nor any of its
tributaries can stay unpolluted. It is incumbent upon all Parliamentarians that
they maintain the highest standards of democracy and parliamentary functioning.
The Parliament, like other organs of the Government, is not sovereign and owes
its origin and authority to the Constitution and derives its functional
responsibility from, and discharges its responsibilities within the framework
of the Constitution. The prime function of the Parliament is to enact
legislations to empower the people on every front - social, economic and
political, to exercise control over Executive and making it accountable in all
respects. The validity of a law, whether Union or State, is tested by judiciary
as defined in the Constitution.
3.
Our Parliament has evolved well-developed processes and procedures. The
Parliament functions through Debate, Dissension and finally Decision and not
through disruption. In order to strengthen our Parliamentary functioning and
other democratic institutions, it is important that all stakeholders –
Government, political parties, their leaders and Parliamentarians do some
introspection and follow sound parliamentary conventions and rules.
4.
This historical Parliament House Building is adorned with mural paintings of
ancient India along with portraits and statues of national leaders and eminent
parliamentarians. Presently, the photographs of Presiding Officers of Central
Legislative Assembly of pre-independence period have been displayed in the
inner lobby of Lok Sabha Chamber in the Parliament House. In order to continue
this beautiful tradition, it was appropriately decided to have a Gallery of the
Presidents of the Central Legislative Assembly and the former Speakers of the
Lok Sabha and to install their photographs and portraits in the Outer Lobby of
the Lok Sabha Chamber. I congratulate the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira
Kumar, for taking this initiative. I also convey my appreciation for the
selected artists who have done a tremendous job in painting the portraits.
5.
In the last six decades and more since Independence, the people of this country
have been witness to the constitution of fifteen Lok Sabhas through election on
the basis of adult suffrage. Every Lok Sabha, as an apex elected body of the
country, has successfully guided our nation on the path of progress. In
response to the unique circumstances every Lok Sabha has faced, the Parliament
has evolved as an effective representative institution to meet the emerging
challenges of our vibrant democracy. By facilitating orderly conduct of
business in the House, all the former Speakers of the Lok Sabha have
significantly contributed to the effective functioning of the House and to the
development of various parliamentary traditions, conventions, processes and
procedures.
6.
This is also the time to remember the distinguished Presidents of the Central
Legislative Assembly in the pre-Independence period – Sir Frederick Whyte, Shri
Vithalbhai Patel, Sir Muhammad Yakub, Sir Ibrahim Rahimtoola, Sir R. K.
Shanmukham Chetty and Sir Abdur Rahim, who laid the solid foundation for
India’s parliamentary system.
7.
Due to the relentless efforts of Shri Vithalbhai Patel, the first elected President
of the Central Legislative Assembly and contributions of members like Motilal
Nehru and others, the establishment of an independent Secretariat under the
President of the Central Legislative Assembly was a turning point in the
history of our parliamentary system. It was due to his farsightedness and
wisdom that when the Constituent Assembly was drafting the Constitution, the
founding fathers took cognizance of the importance of having an independent
office of the Presiding Officer. They very thoughtfully and appropriately
incorporated Article 98 in our Constitution which provided for the creation of
separate Secretariats for both the Houses of our Parliament.
8.
As the constitutional and functional head of the House, the Speaker is
entrusted with the onerous responsibility of protecting the independence,
impartiality, dignity and power of the House. Adequate powers are vested in the
office of the Speaker through the Constitution, through the Rules of Procedure
and Conduct of Business in the House and also through the conventions to ensure
smooth conduct of the parliamentary proceedings. All our distinguished former
Speakers of the Lok Sabha, starting from Shri G. V. Mavalankar to Shri Somnath
Chatterjee; and the present Speaker, Smt. Meira Kumar, have adorned the Office
of the Speaker maintaining the highest standards of democratic traditions and
have made significant contributions in further strengthening our parliamentary
conventions, processes and procedures. I am delighted to see presence of some
of former speakers of Lok Sabha on this occasion and I heartily welcome them.
9.
I am sure, the photographs and portraits of the Presiding Officers of the
Central Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha that are being unveiled here
today will always remind us of discharging our duties and responsibilities for
which we have sought mandate from the people, and inspire us to earnestly
strive to establish a progressive, vibrant and healthy democracy.
Thank
You.
Jai Hind.
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SH/AK