In an emotionally surcharged atmosphere, the state Assembly on Wednesday feliticitated 10 members who have completed 25 years or more as legislator. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav honoured these MlAs by presenting a shawl and citation to each one.
The felicitated members include Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and Azam Khan, Avadesh Prasad, Durga Yadav, Ram Govind Choudhary, Rajiv Kumar Singh (all ministers), Narendra Singh Yadav (all from Samajwadi Party), Suresh Khanna and Shyan Deo Raichoudhary (both from BJP) and Syam Sunder Sharma (Independent).
The Assembly witnessed unprecedented bon homie as the members cutting across party lines thumped their desks as the members after being feted shared their experiences of long journey in public life. Almost all the members including the Speaker became emotional as they addressed the House and narrated their journey from humble beginnings to becoming legislators for six to eight terms.
``Its a day of pride for the UP Assembly as it was my proposal to honour the members who completed 25 years in the House and it found support from all parties,’’ said Speaker Mata Prasad Pande.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, “The 10 members honoured today are not mere individuals, they are institutions unto themselves. They have earned the trust of people through hard work and integrity. They have experienced the ups and downs in politics.’’
The CM added, “Sometimes, I feel that I got the coveted office of the CM as it was my destiny. But people worked hard and covered a long distance in politics through sheer hard work. Its a memorable event for us.’’
``Being an MP was rather confortable for me. It was only after taking over as the CM that I realised that politics is a different ball game and an onerous task to perform,’’ said Yadav.
In an obvious message to the Opposition parties, Yadav said,
“Change is the law of nature. If the change is for the good then the SP should come back to power in 2012. I wish the same arrangement in the Assembly may continue for the next 25 years.’’