1. Honourable Members, I would like to acknowledge
my deep gratitude and appreciation to Honourable Speaker and the Honourable
Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Honourable Members of Parliament for organizing this
farewell ceremony on the eve of my demitting office as the 13th President
of the Republic of India.
2. Honourable Members, if I say I am a
creation of this Parliament. It shaped by political outlook and persona. Bear
with me if I feel nostalgic and indulge myself by going back to the past. On 26th January
1950, the Constitution of India came into effect. In a remarkable display of
idealism and courage, we the people of India gave to ourselves a sovereign
democratic republic to secure to all its citizens justice, liberty and
equality. We undertook to promote amongst all citizens fraternity, the dignity
of the individual and the unity of the nation. These ideals became the
lodestars of the modern Indian state. The Indian Constitution consisting of 395
Articles and 12 Schedules is not merely a legal document for administration but
the magna carta of socio-economic transformation of the country. It
represents the hopes and aspirations of the billion plus Indians.
3. Sixty eight years ago, after the first
general election, the Indian Parliament began its journey representing the
sovereign will of its people. Both the Houses were constituted, the first President
of the Republic was elected who addressed the first Joint Session of the
Parliament and the Indian Parliamentary system rolled out.
Hon’ble Members:
4. When I first entered the portals of
this hallowed institution 48 years ago, I was only 34 years old. In July 1969,
I came to this Parliament as a member of Rajya Sabha representing one of the
six seats from the State of West Bengal. My election to Rajya Sabha took place
on 4th July and the first session I attended began
on July 22nd, 1969.
5. Hon’ble Members, since then, for 37
years I served as a Member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Of these, I served
five terms as a Member of the Rajya Sabha, elected for four terms from West
Bengal and one term from Gujarat, and two terms in the Lok Sabha. My long
career has been instructive and educative. I entered parliament at a time when the Rajya Sabha was full of
experienced parliamentarians and
leaders of the freedom movement, many of whom were brilliant speakers: M.C.
Chagla, Ajit Prasad Jain, Jairamdas Daulatram, Bhupesh Gupta, Joachim Alva,
Mahavir Tyagi, Raj Narain, Bhai Mahavir, Loknath Misra, Chitta Basu and many
more. In fact, Bhupesh Gupta was truly a legend in the Rajya Sabha. Dahyabhai
Patel and Maniben Patel, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s son and daughter,
represented Swatantra Party in the Parliament. My years in Parliament were
further enriched by the wisdom of P.V. Narasimha Rao, oration of Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, cryptic one-liners of Madhu Limaye and Dr. Nath Pai, wit and humour
of Piloo Modi, poetic discourses of Hiren Mukherjee, razor sharp repartee of
Indrajit Gupta, calming presence of Dr. Manmohan Singh, mature advice of L.K.
Advani and passionate support of Sonia Gandhi on social legislations.
6. My career as a parliamentarian was no doubt mentored by Shrimati Indira
Gandhi. Her steely determination, clarity of thought and decisive actions made
her a towering personality. She never hesitated to call a spade a spade. I
remember after the defeat of Congress in the post-Emergency election, we had
gone to London in November, 1978. A large number of media persons in a fairly
aggressive mood were waiting to ask Shrimati Gandhi questions. The first
question that was flung at her was, “What have been your gains from the
Emergency?” Looking at the journalist squarely in the eye, in a level voice,
Indira Gandhi replied, “In those 21 months, we comprehensively managed to
alienate all sections of Indian people.” Big silence followed by loud laughter!
Not one question was asked after that and the media persons just melted away.
And I also learnt an early lesson of acknowledging my mistakes and rectifying
them. Self-correction in such situations is always a better option than
self-justification.
7. Hon’ble Members, in those days, both
the Houses of the Parliament used to reverberate with animated discussions and
illuminative and exhaustive debates on social and financial legislations.
Listening to the stalwarts for hours and days in Parliament sitting in the
Treasury or Opposition Benches, I felt one with the soul of this living
institution. I understood the real value of debate, discussion and dissent. I
realized how disruption hurts the opposition more than the government as it
denies them the opportunity to raise the concerns of the people. I internalized
the essence of what Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said (and I quote): “There
has always to be balancing of change and continuity. The system of
parliamentary democracy embodies these principles of change and continuity. And
it is up to those who function in this system, members of the House and the
numerous others who are part of this system, to increase the pace of change, to
make it as fast as they like, subject to the principle of continuity. If
continuity is broken, we become rootless and the system of parliamentary
democracy breaks down” (unquote). I experienced the joy of the enactment of
pro-poor and pro-farmer legislations. The recent passage of Goods and Services
Tax and its launch on 1st July is a shining example of co-operative
federalism and speaks volumes for the maturity of Indian Parliament. To be a
part of this system is a unique experience and I am grateful to the people of
this great country for giving me that opportunity.
8. I had the privilege of being a witness
and a participant in the unfolding scenario of emergence of a great India. An
India where 130 crore people belonging to three major ethnic groups – Aryans,
Dravidians and Mongoloids – practicing 7 major religions and speaking 122
languages in daily lives live under one Constitution, one flag and one
administrative system.
9. Hon’ble Members, not a single part of
this vast territory of 3.3 million square kilometers of landmass and islands is
unrepresented in the Parliament. 543 persons from the 543 territorial
constituencies of this country representing the people in Lok Sabha and 245
persons elected by 29 States and 7 Union Territories make laws, scrutinize
orders of the executive and enforce accountability to protect the interests of
the people. Each of these 788 voices is important. It is unfortunate that the
parliamentary time devoted to legislation has been declining. With the
heightened complexity of administration, legislation must be preceded by
scrutiny and adequate discussion. Scrutiny in committees is no substitute to
open discussion on the floor of the House. When the Parliament fails to
discharge its law-making role or enacts laws without discussion, I feel it
breaches the trust reposed in it by the people of this great country.
10. Through the instrument of Ordinances,
the Executive has been vested with extraordinary powers to make laws to meet
exigencies during a time when Parliament is not in session. However, such
Ordinances have to be approved by Parliament within six weeks of the next
session of the Parliament.
11. I am firm in the opinion that the
Ordinance route should be used only in compelling circumstances and there
should be no recourse to Ordinances on monetary matters. Ordinance route should
not be taken on matters which are being considered or have been introduced in
the House or a committee of the House. If a matter is deemed urgent, the
concerned committee should be made aware of the situation and should be
mandated to present its report within the stipulated time.
Hon’ble Members:
12. It was in July 2012 that my membership
in Lok Sabha came to an end when I was declare elected as the 13th President
of the Republic on 22nd of that month. Even though thirty-seven
years of my life in Parliament came to an end on that day but I still continued
to have a tenacious link with this institution, in fact I became an integral
part of it, as the President of Republic, as per the Constitution. Article 79
of the Indian Constitution says: “There shall be a Parliament for the Union
which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as
the Council of States and the House of the People.” In these five years, my
principal responsibility was to function as the guardian of the Constitution.
As I had said on oath, I strived to preserve, protect and defend our
Constitution, not just in word but also in spirit. In this task, I greatly
benefitted from the advice and co-operation extended by Prime Minister Modi at
every step. With passion and energy, he is driving transformational changes in
the country. I will carry with me fond memories of our association and his warm
and courteous behaviour.
13. As I retire from the Office of the
President of the Republic, my association with the Parliament also comes to an
end. I will no longer be a part of the Parliament of India. It will be with a
tinge of sadness and a rainbow of memories that I will be leaving this
magnificent building today.
14. Dear friends, with a sense of gratitude
and a prayer in my heart, I take leave of you. I leave with a sense of
fulfilment and happiness of having served the people of this great country through
this institution- as their humble servant.
Thank you,
Jai
Hind!
*****
AKT/SH