lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called upon the legislators to make development their primary goal irrespective of their party affiliation and take active role in the implementation of the legislations and various public oriented schemes and policies.
Inaugurating the sixth India region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference here on Saturday, she asserted there should not be politics in development agenda and each public representative should take up this agenda as a social responsibility for the growth of the people and the society.
Mahajan, who is also chairperson of the India region CPA, hailed the prohibition policy and campaign against child marriage and dowry charted by the Bihar Government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and complimented for the formation of the human chain for social reform. In this context she also referred to the Speakers' Research Initiative started by her for the lok Sabha members where people related issues are discussed and addressed.
The conference is being attended by Speakers of 16 Assemblies and chairpersons of the legislative councils, entire secretariat of lok Sabha, delegates from Pacific Asia, Africa and Australia regions of PCA. The delegates included chairperson of CPA executive committee Emilia M lifaka of Cameroon and secretary general of CPA Akbar Khan.
Nitish in his address stressed on the gender equality, one of the 17 targets of sustainable development goal, and urged lok Sabha Speaker to ensure the passage of the women reservation bill which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha. He referred to the legislation according 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayat and urban local bodies under which election had been held three times since 2006 and more than 50 per cent women are winning which gave a big push to women empowerment. lifaka, who came with a traditional headgear of Cameroon, said it was the duty of the legislators to make Governments accountable and pass laws in the interest of the public.
Scenes that are witnessed in the Assembly like shouting and chaos ripped the conference when deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi in his address said that four former CMs in the country are in jail on corruption cases. The RJD legislators were soon on their legs protesting the remarks. RJD supremo lalu Prasad is one of the four former CMs in jail. The RJD men shouted anti-Modi slogans and were on verge of walking out lok Sabha Speaker Mahajan intervened and chided the protestors. She said, “This is not Bihar Assembly. This is Commonwealth conference. If you want to you can go out.”
later on Modi clarified that he was only making a reference in the light of the Supreme Court order and had not named anybody. “Chor ki darhi me tinka”, he quipped over RJD's behavior. But leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who skipped the conference he was supposed to address and instead proceeded to Ara to meet the family of the CRPF jawan died fighting Pakistani infiltrators in Kashmir, said Modi should apologise for his comments else their protest would continue.
At the inaugural function Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, credited with hosting the conference first time in Bihar, said that focus on social issues has been one of the major activities of the CPA and in this context a programme of direct interaction was started with the members of civil society and legislators. Bihar branch of CPA has organized many workshops and seminars regarding subjects of social concerns like gender equality, child labour and duties of legislators.