Underlining the need for political consensus for holding simultaneous elections across the country, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday also spoke strongly against discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, sex and region, saying that there should be no mercy shown to those guilty of discrimination.
Naidu, who was speaking at the awards ceremony at the ongoing India Ideas Conclave organised by the India Foundation, also said that the aspect of religion should be dissociated from terror.
“And I also feel there is every need for election together, not because of this Government or that Government, because it has become a regular activity. Political parties (have) three point programmes. Election, selection, collection. Now one round of election is over, there will be another round of election now, in another State. Then after it, another State. So when can the politician put his all efforts into growth and development,” Naidu said.
“There has to be simultaneous elections, at all levels from Parliament to panchayats. Everything should be finished in one month. But for that you need political consensus,” he added.
The Vice-President also said that India’s citizens look up to the Parliament for direction and members of India’s top legislature should act accordingly with decorum and dignity, while lamenting the fall standards of conduct.
“We are a mature democracy and we call ourselves as one of the finest Parliamentary system in the world. The world is looking towards us and children in school, colleges, society, they look to parliament for guidance. The Parliamentarians should be an outstanding example of decency, decorum and discipline,” he said, reminding lawmakers of the pledge taken by all MPs during the special session of Parliament convened to celebrate the 50th anniversary of India’s Independence.
“The special session of Parliament on occasion of the golden jubilee of the country's independence, MPs had solemnly affirmed their commitment to maintaining the invaluability of the Question Hour, refraining from transgressing into the official area of the House or from shouting slogans and desisting from any efforts and interruption during the address of the president,” Naidu said.
The Vice-President also spoke about the need to crackdown against discrimination, while also spelling out the perils of linking terrorism to a particular religion.
“Anything, discrimination on the basis of caste, discrimination on the basis of religion, discrimination on the basis of region, discrimination on the basis of caste or sex, discrimination on the basis of your belief. This should not be allowed at all. That has not been the tradition of India,” he said.
“Anybody who is indulging in such things, he has to be identified and law must take its own course and the society must also come together and tell him what you have done is wrong... We have to identify them. We have to isolate them. We have to take action against them, without any mercy. I am very clear about it, otherwise this will spoil the name of the civilisation,” he said.
“Another important thing is we must also change our mindset and should not look into the prism of community or caste or religion about terror. Terror has no religion. Terror is the enemy of humanity. We should all understand that. And we should nip it in the bud itself,” Naidu also said.