Just days ahead of Budget session, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said “concrete decisions” must be taken after constructive debate to make Parliamentary democracy “solid”, even as he expressed concern over “growing intolerance”.
Asserting that “there is no place for intolerance in democracy”, he said a Parliamentary democracy is not “solid” enough if no “concrete decisions” are taken after constructive debate.
He also said media can play an important role in ensuring Parliament runs constructively and peacefully.
Speaking at the 35th anniversary of one of leading Bengali newspaper Aaajkaal, Mukherjee said, “What we are experiencing the trend is not proper. We are becoming intolerant day-by-day. There is no place for intolerance in democracy.”
He said democracy follows the principle of tolerance and therefore one needs to respect different ideologies. “You have to respect other ideologies. Without different ideologies, real democracy is not possible,” he said.
Recalling what he had learnt about democracy in college, the President said, “My teacher used to say 3Ds are essential in democracy -- debate, dissension and decision.”
Without mentioning the virtual washout of the last session of Parliament, he said, “If there is no debate in Parliamentary democracy and after debate if there is no concrete decision taken, we cannot say that Parliamentary democracy is solid enough.”
Emphasising the role of media in Parliamentary democracy, he said, “I am not saying this as I would like to speak in a negative tone. We have to think about future in a positive way. If someone deviates from the ideology, media can show the way.”
Media can create impact on policymakers and bring a change in the policy system, he said, adding ‘Aaajkaal’ is creating the impact for the last 35 years, especially in Bengal political arena.