Somehow managing to convince the Teachers Group to attend the special 36-hour session of Legislative Council to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the House, Dinesh Sharma and ruling party leaders remembered the contribution of Bapu and the country’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on Wednesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has 21 members and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) one member in the Council and if Teachers Group with five members had not agreed to attend the session, it would be have been difficult for the BJP to get minimum quorum required to run the House.
The BJP also had the support of Congress MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh, who joined the BJP recently and contested against Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli in the last parliamentary election.
A Congress move to disqualify his membership is still pending.
The total strength of the Council on Wednesday morning was a meagre 29, as all opposition parties boycotted the special session.
The Samajwadi Party has the maximum strength of 55 members followed by Bahujan Samaj Party with eight members in the Council.
Addressing the House, Dinesh Sharma said that Gandhiji had set a goal and they had to achieve it.
Elaborating on the point, Sharma said that truth was that through his policies, principles and organisational skills, Mahatma Gandhi had united the people of all religions and castes and led the non-cooperation movement against Britishers to finally achieve independence.
Remembering Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sharma said that during a short span as prime minister, Shastriji had achieved many targets and was the first to give the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan’ for the progress and freedom of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Teachers Group leader Om Prakash Sharma said that those who liked to praise Mahatma Gandhi could do so, but the real tribute to the father of nation would be to end poverty from the country.
He also said that Mahatma Gandhi had brought independence aiming at good governance and hence good governance had to be ensured as only then Gandhiji could be remembered in the true spirit.