LUCKNOW, June 6: President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the opposition but there should not be any animosity between both the sides.
Addressing a joint sitting of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and the Assembly, Kovind said the UP Legislature has a glorious history of dignified amicability between the ruling party and the opposition.
“Sometimes, there have been undignified incidents which are contrary to this rich tradition. You have to make an effort to forget them by considering those as an exception.
“You all have to further strengthen the rich political tradition of UP. In a democracy, there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the opposition but there should not be any animosity (vaimanasya) between both the sides,” Kovind said.
Kovind said the Legislature is the temple of democracy and people consider the public representatives as their ‘bhaagyavidhata’ (one who decides the destiny).
“The people of the state have a lot of hope and expectations from you, and fulfilling their expectations is the most important work for you.
“The ambit of your public service must contain all citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person,” he said.
He reminded them that according to the oath, they are committed to work not only for the entire state but for the entire country apart from their respective regions.
Emphasising on the need to increase the representation of the women (in the Legislature), Kovind said, “From the point of view of social inclusion, it is a good achievement that in the current Legislature, the ambit of representation of various sections of the society, has increased.
“But, I have been told that in the UP Legislative Assembly, the number of women MLAs is 47. However, one should not be satisfied with this number. This is around 12 per cent of the total 403 MLAs (in UP Assembly). Similarly, in the 100-member UP Legislative Council, out of the current 91 members, five are women, which comes out to be 5.5 per cent. There are immense possibilities in increasing the representation of women.”
Kovind said India is celebrating the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate the 75th anniversary of independence.
One of the objectives of this celebration is to remember our freedom fighters who are often forgotten and about whom all citizens, especially the young generation, should know, he said.
There have been many such unknown and anonymous freedom fighters in Uttar Pradesh, about whom more information should be accessible. Dissemination of more information about well-known freedom fighters would also increase awareness among the people, the president noted.
He said lecture series could be organized in educational institutions in memory of freedom fighters and people could also be made aware of their life stories through other mediums.
The president also exuded confidence that UP will soon become “Uttam Pradesh”.
“With your efforts, Uttar Pradesh will soon become Uttam Pradesh. When the largest state of the country achieves all the parameters of development, then the country’s development will automatically get a backing.”
“I hope that 25 years from now, when the nation will celebrate the centenary of Independence, by then UP would have been established as the leading state in India in terms of parameters of development, and our country would be at the forefront among the developed countries,” Kovind said.
The president said Uttar Pradesh ranks first in India in food grains production and also ranks first in the production of mango, potato, sugarcane and milk. In recent years, there has been notable progress in road, rail and air connectivity in the state. The talented youth of Uttar Pradesh are setting the parameters of economic progress in other states and abroad, Kovind said. (PTI)
He said there is huge potential in tourism, food processing, information technology and urban development in the state.
In view of fertile land and natural conditions conducive to agriculture in Uttar Pradesh, great changes can be made in the economic condition of the state by focusing more on production as well as productivity in agriculture and on agro-based enterprises, he said.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Speaker of UP Legislative Assembly Satish Mahana, Chairman of UP Legislative Council Kunwar Manvendra Singh and Leader of Opposition (in Legislative Assembly) Akhilesh Yadav also addressed the joint sitting. (PTI)
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