Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu today stressed the need for legislatures, including that of North-Eastern States, to meet more often and for longer duration so that there is adequate time for law making, discussing issues of larger public interest and ensuring accountability of the executive.
Addressing the members of Mizoram Legislative Assembly, he suggested that the Assembly sessions should also be planned over a reasonable period of time so that there is enough time to deliberate, discuss, debate and finally, decide. “We must have more sittings of legislatures and more constructive debates in each session”, he added.
Referring to Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations to mark the completion of 75 years of Independence, Naidu said “we must resolve, take a Maha Sankalp, to strengthen the grand democratic tradition of our nation. We must ensure that our State Assemblies and the Parliament become effective instruments for shaping the New India, we all are dreaming of. Our democracy is one of the oldest and the largest democracies in the world. Let us make it the best”, he observed.
Naidu expressed concern about recent occurrences in some State legislatures and said that constitutional offices should always be respected. He said legislators should meaningfully debate and not disrupt the proceedings of the House. ‘People’s aspirations must be heard and respected’, the Vice President added.
Flagging the issue of inadequate representation of women in Parliament and State legislatures in the country, including the North-Eastern States, the Vice President said there is a strong case for involving more women members in law making.
While noting that the Assemblies of Mizoram and Nagaland do not have any women members, he said the Manipur and Tripura Assemblies have two and five members respectively. Of the total 498 Members in the eight Legislative Assemblies of the region, there are only 20 women Members constituting a mere 4%. Even in the Parliament women constitute only about 11%, Naidu lamented.
Referring to the signing of the historic Memorandum of Settlement between the Government of India, the Government of Mizoram and the Mizo National Front in 1986, which ended more than two decades of unrest and strife and ushered in peace and progress, Naidu said that Mizoram has demonstrated the power of dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes so essential in a democracy.
He said the Peace Accord has served as an example upon which similar peace agreements have become a reality in other parts of the North Eastern region. Mizoram Governor, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Zoramthanga, Assembly Speaker, Lalrinliana Sailo were present on the occasion.
