New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Parliament or Assemblies are places of debate and discussion but it is not good if the House is not allowed to function session after session in the name of opposition for narrow political gains.
Shah made the remarks here while addressing the All India Speakers Conference, three days after the Monsoon Session of Parliament came to an end with little business conducted due to repeated disruptions and adjournments following opposition protests.
The home minister also said that when there is limited debate or discussions in Parliament, the contribution of the House in nation-building gets affected.
“Debate must take place in a democracy. But it is not good if the House is not allowed to function in the name of opposition for someone’s narrow political gains.
“Opposition should always be restrained. But in the name of opposition, if the House is not allowed to function day after day or session after session, it is not good. The country has to ponder over it, the people have to ponder over it, and elected representatives have to ponder over it,” he said.
Shah said all discussions must have some sense, and everyone must work towards increasing the dignity and respect of the post of the Speaker.
“We should work to offer an impartial platform to raise the issues of the people. The arguments of both the treasury and the opposition should be impartial. We must ensure that the functioning of the House is carried out as per rules and regulations of the respective House,” he said.
Citing the humiliation of the Mahabharata character Droupadi in Hastinapur, he said, whenever the dignity of the House is compromised, the country has seen dire consequences.
The home minister lauded the democratic tradition of India since Independence and said democracy here has roots so deep that it has not seen shedding of even a single drop of blood during regime changes, unlike many countries where the democratic situation deteriorated over the years.
He said if there is no debate in parliament or legislative assemblies, these would remain lifeless buildings.
“The task of expressing views in these buildings is done by all members under the leadership of the Speaker, and only then does it become a living entity, which works in the interest of the country and the State,” he said.
Terming the Speaker as the guardian as well as a ‘sevak’ (servant), Shah said brainstorming is the best way to resolve problems of the people in a democracy.
He said the objectives of any law being enacted should always be the welfare of people, inclusive development of the country, ensuring administrative efficiency, internal security and external security of the nation.
The home minister also paid tributes to Vitthalbhai Patel, the first elected Indian Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly.
He said on this very day 100 years ago, the great freedom fighter was appointed the President of the Central Legislative Assembly, marking the beginning of India’s legislative history.
Shah said the contribution of Vitthalbhai, who was the brother of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, got overshadowed over the years.
“If the freedom struggle of the country was important, then running the country and establishing legislative procedures are equally important. Vitthalbhai Patel played an important role in establishing and strengthening democracy even during difficult days. We should all remember that,” he said.
Talking about Vitthalbhai, Shah noted that he had created an independent legislative assembly.
He said that no legislative assembly can work under an elected government, and legislative assemblies should be independent. Vitthalbhai said only then will the meaningfulness of the debates in the legislative assemblies be maintained, the Home Minister said.
The home minister said the decision to establish the independent legislative department, which was taken by Vitthalbhai Patel during the British era, was also accepted by the Constituent Assembly.
Therefore, today, this department operates under the presiding officer in all the legislative assemblies of the country as well as in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, he said.
He said the position of the Speaker of the legislative assembly is of utmost importance and it is the responsibility of the Speaker to protect the prestige of the House and enhance it, and these tasks were excellently performed by Vitthalbhai Patel.
Shah said Vitthalbhai Patel worked to establish many traditions in the House, which today serve as a guiding light for legislative works, especially for the Speaker.
“When we talk about Vithalbhai Patel, we, the people of Gujarat, proudly say that Gujarat has given two great individuals. The first brother, Sardar Patel, worked day and night shoulder to shoulder with Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom movement.
“And the second, Vitthalbhai Patel, laid the foundation of India’s legislative traditions and established the strong foundation of today’s democracy,” he said.
