The occasion of unveiling of photographs of Presidents of Central Legislative Assembly and portraits of former speakers of Lok Sabha in Parliament’s Central Hall was used by the President to remind the elected representatives of the people of India of their duties and responsibilities to the nation. Addressing the Parliamentarians, the President could not hide his exasperation over Parliament sessions being hijacked by walkouts, boycotts, loud protestations and disruptions. This has been the phenomenon of a Parliament whose history for several decades following independence and thereafter is worth writing in letters of gold. In those early Parliaments, the peoples’ representatives burning with the fire of patriotism upheld the highest standards of Parliamentary debates and discussions. It was so because we had eminent leaders taking historic decisions that put our nation on the path of development and progress. It also inculcated high moral and ethical values in the institution of the Parliament which is the repository of the rights of people. The President advised the Parliamentarians to do some introspection. He obviously meant to convey to them how, unfortunately, the functioning of the Parliament had fallen qualitatively when compared to the earlier days of its history. From a high level in debates and discussions and in arriving at measured and balanced decisions, our Parliament has fallen to low levels of inter-party acrimony, vendetta and revenge-seeking. We hope the Parliamentarians will understand the gravity of the words of the President. He called it Gangotri meaning the fountain-head wherefrom flows law, justice, governance, basics of governance, development and security. What will happen to the nation if this Gangotri is polluted and misused?
President’s warning should not go unnoticed in any case. Parliamentarians have to accept that they need to do some introspection. The life and teachings of the Father of the Nation have been easily forgotten and there are no qualms of conscience with public leaders who speak a lot about Gandhian philosophy but are miles away from practising it. Some of the Parliamentarians feel that they are all powerful once they have been returned to the Parliament by the electorate. But the President made it clear that Parliament was not sovereign in real sense of the term; it had to function within the parameters of the Constitution. The Constitution itself was an embodiment of the will and aspirations of more than a billion people of our country. Therefore the Parliamentarians need to be fully conscious of their responsibility not only to their respective constituencies from which they have been elected but to the entire nation because the Parliament represents the aspirations of the entire Indian nation.
On the positive side the President said that fifteen Parliaments constituted in post – independence period had tackled issues and met challenges as these came and successfully led the country from one stage of development and progress to another. It had won appreciation of the entire free world where people had reposed trust in democratic institutions. The President said that it was a matter of great pride and satisfaction that Speakers had maintained the dignity and respect of the high office and had never lost the sight of discharging their office with impartiality, justice and equity. Endorsing the views of the President, Meira Kumar, Speaker of the House said that though a Speaker belonged to one of the political parties in the country but once elected as Speaker it was his or her duty to function with utmost impartiality while conducting the business of the House. We have a multi-party democracy in this country. Additionally we have non-party private Parliamentarians also. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is expected to handle all these parties with even handed treatment as that is what the high office of the Speaker demands.
Paying tributes to the memory of great Parliamentarians who in their days either presided over the Assembly or were elected as Speakers, the President said that they had laid the traditions of Parliamentary democracy in our country which we are now following. He said that owing to the relentless efforts of Vithalbhai Patel, 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. He also said that all former Speakers starting from G V Mavalankar to Somnath Chatterjee and the present Speaker, Meira Kumar have maintained highest standards of democratic traditions and have made significant contributions in further strengthening Parliamentary conventions, processes and procedures.
It is perfectly right that the stalwarts of our nation’s freedom struggle and pioneers of our Parliamentary system should receive honour and respect from our Parliamentarians and highest dignitaries in a befitting manner. Putting up their photographs in the Central Hall of the Parliament is to give due honour to them and to the nation.
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