75 programmes on parliamentary democracy across nation, announces LS Speaker Om Birla
Bengaluru, Sep 25: Celebrating 100 years of the Speakers' Conference which coincides with the platinum jubilee of Indian independence, 75 different programmes on Parliamentary democracy would be organised in different parts of the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Saturday.
"The tradition of holding Speakers' Conference is completing 100 years this year. The first such conference was held in 1921 at Shimla and once again after 100 years, the conference is taking place in Shimla," Birla told reporters here.
He said the participants would discuss issues related to the parliamentary democracy, including the objectives achieved in the past 75 years.
"Along with it, we plan to hold the 75 different programmes in different parts of the country involving the smallest but the most important and responsible institution of the democracy, which is village Panchayat to Parliament, municipal corporations, legislative assemblies or Panchayats," Birla said.
The Speaker said this is the centenary of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as well. In this regard, an important international conference would take place on December 4 and 5 in New Delhi.
"The Speaker, PAC chairperson, its members, and the PAC chairpersons from other countries will take part in the conference," Birla said.
There would be programmes on increasing the participation of youth and women in Assemblies, Parliament and other democratic institutions, Birla said. Plans are afoot to hold an international meeting on participation of youth and women in the democratic process, he said.
Birla said the sole objective of the programmes is to strengthen the democratic institutions, make them accountable and prepare an actionplan to run the House. "We will make an advisory on the standard operating procedure (SOP) to run the House in the lowest level of institutions, which the States can follow," he said.
The Assembly Speakers would hold such programmes in their respective States as well.
Speaking about his visit to Karnataka, the LS Speaker said the State has a long history of democracy.
Referring to the Anubhava Mantapa set up by 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara in Basava Kalyan in Bidar district of the State, Birla said, "The foundation of the oldest democracy was laid in Karnataka. That's why we say that India is the mother of democracy."
He said he was not referring to the democracy after independence but the one which was always ingrained in the action, behaviour and thought of Indians.
The Speaker said the Panchayat Raj system was a symbol of democratic values, which every villager used to follow.
Stating that din and interruptions in Parliament, Assemblies and other Councils were a matter of concern, Birla said wide-level discussions took place between the speakers and leaders of various political parties for the dignified behaviour of the members in the House.
"We will once again discuss in Shimla how to maintain the discipline, dignity and decorum of Parliament and Legislatures," Birla said.
Replying to a query on sessions being held till late in the night, the Lok Sabha Speaker said the past five sessions saw an increase in the productivity of the proceedings.
"Despite the prevalence of COVID-19, our members sat in the House till late in the night and held the proceedings more than the scheduled time. During the fourth session, the members remained in the House till late in the night. The productivity was 167 per cent and there was members' participation. We want a similar kind of atmosphere whether be it in Parliament, Legislatures, Panchayat or the Municipal Councils," he said.
Birla said a database on the important discussions held in Parliament and the Legislatures would be prepared in Hindi and English in six months to add to the library in Parliament for the capacity- building of the members in the elected bodies.
"We are preparing a platform where our Legislatures can access the database by the name or subject," Birla said.
To a question on discussion on 'One Nation, One Election', he said many Legislatures tried to hold discussions and Karnataka was one among them.
Stating that there was a discussion in Parliament on this topic on a private Bill, he said there should be more discussions and dialogues on this issue for fruitful results.
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EC role, Hindu vote consolidation among factors for BJP win in Bengal polls: J-K CM Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday attributed the BJP's West Bengal win to a "significant role" played by the Election Commission (EC), alongside a consolidation of Hindu votes and a fractured minority mandate.
Abdullah also said the INDIA bloc needs to define its role in the political landscape of the country and make it clear whether the opposition alliance was limited to the parliamentary elections or extended to the state elections as well.
Talking to PTI Videos, Abdullah hinted that the EC has compromised its neutrality by conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal and linked it to the BJP's gains in the state, claiming large-scale deletion of legitimate voters.
On the performance of the BJP in the just concluded assembly elections, Abdullah said the saffron party has almost nothing to show in southern states.
"So then you look at West Bengal and Assam. Yes, the BJP improved its tally in Assam. There are various reasons for that. You know as well as I do, what those are. West Bengal, I think we need to look at the results very carefully," he said.
"The easiest explanation for the West Bengal result is the serious curtailing of voter list," Abdullah said.
"Voters found their names deleted. People who served in uniform and fought for this country on the borders, who were considered Indian citizens all their lives, were suddenly held to a higher standard and not allowed to vote. Something is not right," he said.
While alleging that the EC played a "significant part" in the results, the chief minister admitted the outcome was multifaceted and noted a consolidation of over 60 per cent of the Hindu vote towards the BJP and a "significant fracture" in the minority vote, particularly in seats where Muslims constitute over 50 per cent of the population.
"There is no doubt that the role of the Election Commission played a significant part in the results but we will also have to look at the other factors," he said.
He said the results of West Bengal cannot be compared to those in other states. "The situation was unique to West Bengal. The SIR that was done, the way in which the voter lists were changed, the sort of minute scrutiny that the Election Commission subjected West Bengal to, the role of the central investigative agencies.
"All of these are situations that at least in recent electoral history of India are unique to West Bengal. So to suggest that we can learn lessons from West Bengal and implement them in other parts of the country, I think would not be correct," he said.
Abdullah had recently said that if the West Bengal results throw a surprise, the role of EC will come under scrutiny.
However, during Tuesday's interview, the chief minister said he still maintains that electronic voting machines (EVMs) do not lead to vote theft.
"What we saw in West Bengal...I know there are a lot of people who believe that the EVMs themselves are flawed. I am not a proponent of that conspiracy theory.
"But I do believe that the Election Commission has done itself no favours in the way in which it has gone about both the process of delimitation and the process of finalisation of electoral rolls," he said and cited the example of delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir or Assam.
"These are clear examples of how the process was done to benefit one party or in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, one party and its allies. And the results speak for themselves. You created seven new seats in Jammu and Kashmir and out of those six seats were won by the BJP. You redrew assembly constituencies to benefit one particular party or its allies. And the same is true for West Bengal as well," he said.
Referring to the INIDA bloc, he said the election results were no new message for the alliance.
"We need to decide what the INDIA bloc is for. Is it only for Parliament or for state elections as well?" he asked.
"What happened in West Bengal is unfortunate. The Congress and TMC fought against each other. Now the Congress agrees with Mamata Banerjee that 100 seats were stolen, but the fact is they fought each other," he said.
Despite the friction, Abdullah reaffirmed the "pre-eminent position" of the Congress within the opposition alliance, dismissing the idea of any other party assuming the mantle.
"The Congress is the only party other than the BJP with a pan-India presence. All of us acknowledge this," he stated.
"To suggest someone else can assume a leadership role would be incorrect. Kharge Sahib is the president of the Congress, and by virtue of that, he assumes leadership of the INDIA bloc meetings. That is the way it should be," the chief minister said.
Abdullah said any 'Common Minimum Programme' would depend on whether the opposition alliance decides to fight state assembly elections collectively, noting that he would share his specific views with the bloc internally rather than through the media.
