Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he was happy that Parliament and State Legislatures were working towards realisation of the goal of `one nation, one legislative platform’. Addressing the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) virtually, the PM also rued that some political parties defend their members even if they violate the rules of the House, and warned that it did not augur well for Parliament and state legislatures.
“In 2021, during discussions with you, I spoke about `one nation, one legislative platform.’ I am happy that our Parliament and state legislatures are now working towards this goal through E-Vidhan and Digital Sansad platforms,” the prime minister said. Led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla a total of 26 Presiding Officers participated in the inaugural session.
Notably, the `one nation, one legislative platform’ project aims at making available the proceedings of all legislatures on a single digital platform.
The image of a legislature depends on the conduct of its members, the prime minister stressed. “There was a time when, if any member in the House broke the rules and action was taken against that member, senior members of the House would talk to him so that in future he did not repeat the mistake and break the rules of the House.
Inaugurating the Conference at Mumbai, Birla expressed concern over incidents of indiscipline, disruption of proceedings and unparliamentary conduct in the legislatures affecting their credibility. Birla noted that there is enough space to give voice to dissent in the democratic system, therefore, disruption should not be used as a tool of protest and dissent.
Stressing on innovation, Birla suggested that new and innovative methods of working should be promoted in legislatures so that the democratic institutions can better perform their responsibility of monitoring the executive and people’s faith in these institutions will enhance.
Referring to the role of parliamentary committees in democracy, Birla noted that parliamentary committees play a vital role in shaping laws and policies in the present perspective. Parliamentary Committees are actually ‘mini Parliaments’ and they review these laws, policies and programs on behalf of the Parliament and make them more useful to the public, he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh; Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Chairperson, Maharashtra Legislative Council, Dr. Neelam Gorhe and Deputy Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Narahari Sitaram Jirwal graced the Inaugural Session and addressed the distinguished gathering.