Public reps are not displaying exemplary conduct: Dhankhar

Udaipur: The ninth Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region conference which was inaugurated on Monday by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla concluded on Wednesday with a valedictory address by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.Dhankar while addressing the valedictory session expressed regret that public representatives were not displaying the exemplary conduct expected of them. “I am saying with pain and a deep sense of responsibility, the institution of public representatives is under severe strain. The temples of democracy meant for dialogue, deliberation, debate and discussion are, these days, because of the legislators, representatives of people, hotbeds of disturbance and disruption,” he said.“Parliament and legislatures are fast surging into irrelevance. When legislature meets, when Parliament meets, who is bothered? What is the perception generated? Only disruption and disturbance or boycott and unruly conduct gets reported. This gruesome situation ill augurs for democratic values,” he said.Addressing the valedictory session, Birla said that the deliberations at the conference would go a long way in addressing the present and future challenges faced by the legislatures. He informed that a decision has been taken to reorganize the CPA India Region zones in nine new zones for better coordination among legislative bodies. Referring to the need for modern laws, Birla said that for the country to progress on the path of growth and prosperity, obsolete laws need to be replaced to suit the requirements of present times. Expressing concern at the decline in decorum in legislatures, Birla observed that dignity and prestige of legislatures will increase only when people’s representatives hold meaningful discussions on important issues of the country and society. Referring to the theme of the conference, Birla said that by connecting legislatures with the public through digital means, good governance through enhanced transparency and accountability can be ensured. He urged the presiding officers of legislatures to ensure that rules are made at the earliest after passage of laws so that implementation would be quicker and that law makers must take the responsibility to educate people on laws passed in legislatures because public awareness of laws is key to their effective implementation.