MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the opposition parties for glorification of “tainted'' public representatives. While addressing the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) via video conference, Mr Modi said that when the charges of corruption were made against the public representative in the past, the people used to distance themselves from them, but the opposition parties are now supporting such people.
The annual conference of presiding officers from across India was held in Mumbai. The Prime Minister also appealed to the delegates of the AIPOC to revoke outdated and unrequired Acts which would make the lives of the citizens easy. Speakers from all the state legislatures Assemblies and Om Birla speaker of Lok Sabha, Harivansh Singh, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha attended the AIPOC in Maharashtra State legislature.
Mr. Modi said that the presiding officers should take inspiration from the Constituent Assembly and work to leave a legacy for future generations during their tenure in the Houses. “There is much to learn from our Constituent Assembly. Constituent Assembly members had the responsibility to form a consensus among various thoughts, subjects, and opinions, and they lived up to it….all those presiding officers, who are attending the conference, have an opportunity to draw inspiration from the ideals of the Constituent Assembly…In your respective tenures, strive to leave a legacy that can serve as a heritage for future generations”, he said.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the conduct of the members of legislative bodies and how to increase the productivity of the house. “The way any public representative conducts himself in the House, the parliamentary system of his country is also seen in the same way. The concrete suggestions emanating from this conference will be very helpful for how the behavior of the public representatives in the House and the environment of the House should remain continuously positive and how to increase the productivity of the House,” Mr. Modi said.
Underlining the unruly behaviour by the public representatives, Mr. Modi lamented that once upon a time, any member in the House violated the decorum, the action would be taken against him as per the rules. Then the other seniors of the House used to explain to that member, so that he does not repeat the mistakes in future. “But at present, we have seen that some political parties stand in support of such (unruly) members and start defending their mistakes. This situation, be it Parliament or Assembly, is not good for anyone. It is very important to discuss how to maintain the decorum of the House in this forum,” he said.
Referring to the glorification of the convicted public representatives in the House, the Prime Minister said, “In the past, allegations of corruption against a member of the house would lead to their ostracization from public life. But we now witness public glorification of convicted corrupt individuals, which is detrimental to the integrity of the executive, the judiciary and the constitution.
Mr. Modi asked the delegates of the AIPOC to stress on the importance of discussing the issue, provide concrete suggestions on it during the conference and give a road map for the same in the future. Hw also stressed on the need to streamline enactments and asked the Presiding Officers to pay attention to unnecessary and redundant enactments and their impact on citizens’ lives, stressing that their revocation would have a significant positive impact.
Highlighting the efforts of the central government in repealing redundant laws, Mr. Modi said, “In the last ten years, the central government has repealed over two thousand laws that were detrimental to our system. This simplification of the judicial system has eased the challenges faced by the common man and enhanced the ease of living.”
