Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today expressed his anguish over disruptions in Parliament and State Legislatures and called upon people’s representatives to act as “role models” in raising the standards in public life and setting an example to the younger generation.
Speaking after presenting “Sir M Visvesvarya Memorial Award’ to MR Jayaram, Chairman, MS Ramaiah Group of Institutions in Bengaluru, the Vice President, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that he was saddened by the “new low” witnessed in the Parliament recently as also in some legislatures, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Specifically referring to the recent unfortunate events in the Parliament, Naidu said that he was sad because of the “bad behavior” of some members.
Disapproving the disruptive behaviour of some MPs, Naidu said that Assemblies and Parliament were meant to debate, discuss and decide and not disrupt. He said the people’s verdict must be respected in a democracy while expressing dissent.
“You can’t physically force anybody”, he added.
The Vice President wanted legislators at various levels in various positions to improve the quality of debate and discussion and expressed the hope that things would improve in the future.
By seeking inspiration from great people like Sir M Visvesvaraya, the Vice President urged the younger generation to come forward with new innovations and out-of-the-box ideas to accelerate the progress of the country. They should strive to eradicate poverty, remove regional disparities and build a strong nation while moving towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat, he added. He also called upon the youth to strive hard to excel in their chosen fields.