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Patna,(BiharTimes): While strongly advocating for the existence of the Upper House Vice President Hamid Ansari on Thursday expressed concern over the declining number of sittings in the Legislative Assemblies and Councils all over the country.
Addressing the concluding day function of the centenary celebration of the Bihar Legislative Council at the S K Memorial Hall he said this is not conducive to facilitating effective and efficient functioning of the democracy. Sometimes the sittings of the Council are as low as in the single digit. “We must do everything to increase the number of sittings in our legislative bodies,” he added. |
He said the Bihar Legislative Council stood testimony to the success of the experimental measure, which the architect of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar had referred to in the context of widening the ambit of participation in the democratic process.
“Legislative councils are important optional institutions, incorporated by our founding fathers to cater to special circumstances of states. Their utility is in enhancing inclusive and participatory governance and strengthening the pillars of democracy,” he said.
The Vice President said that it was at the Council’s initiative that women got voting rights, children in Patna could learn about the House proceedings, and Tibbi and Ayurvedic dispensaries were opened. The Council’s pioneering experiment in holding the Bal Sansad (Children Assembly Sessions) allowed children from different parts of the state to raise problems and demand solutions.
The legislature in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh is bicameral. Tamil Nadu too has restored Legislative Council.
The founding fathers of the Constitution had realized the importance of the second chamber of representatives to check hasty and ill-conceived legislation passed by the Lower House and to provide equal representation to different constituent units, he said.
Speaking on the occasion Bihar governor Devanand Konwar lauded the glorious past of Bihar.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar said the development model adopted by successive governments at the Centre has led to regional imbalance. He advocated for adoption of a level-headed approach for equitable development of all regions.
Praising the efforts of the outgoing Chairman of Council Tarakant Jha in making the Upper House lively and vibrant, Nitish said his proposal to increase the Council’s strength from 75 to 81 members would widen the scope of more representation.
Speaker of Bihar Vidhan Sabha, Uday Narain Chaudhary, Tarakant Jha and deputy chairman of the council Salim Parvez also spoke on the occasion.
The President had inaugurated the year-long centenary celebration of the Council here on March 22 last year.
The Vice President released several books, including the centenary year souvenir of the council. The CM presented him a shawl and a piece of Mithila painting.
Incidentally, the deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, who like the chief minister is the member of the Council did not speak on the occasion.
Sources, however, said Council chairman Tarakant Jha did not allow deputy chief minister to speak on the occasion. The programme details circulated during the course of the event, did not have his name on the Speakers’ list. Later, a miffed Modi abstained from the dinner hosted by Jha on the Council premises.
A close aide of Modi, however, said the deputy chief minister was in New Delhi to campaign for BJP candidates in the coming municipal corporation polls.
Jha’s supporters blame Modi for the denial of second term to him.
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