Tag: Lok Sabha

PM addresses Lok Sabha after election of the Speaker

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha after the House elected Shri Om Birla as the Speaker of the House. 

The Prime Minister welcomed Shri Birla taking over as Speaker for a second consecutive term. He conveyed the best wishes of the House to the Speaker. Noting the significance of Shri Birla taking over second time during the Amrit Kaal, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that his experience of five years and the members’ experience with him will enable the re-elected Speaker to guide the house in these important times. The Prime Minister noted the polite and humble personality of the Speaker and his winning smile that helps him in conducting the House.  

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the re-elected speaker will continue to achieve new success. He noted that it was Shri Balram Jhakar who was the first Speaker to hold the post again after five successive years, and today it is Shri Om Birla who after the successful completion of the 17th Lok Sabha has got the responsibility to lead the 18th Lok Sabha to great successes. He also pointed out the trend of a 20-year period in the middle when those who were elected Speaker either did not contest elections or did not win an election after their appointment, but it is Shri Om Birla who has scripted history by returning as Speaker after emerging victorious again.    

The Prime Minister touched upon the working of the Speaker as a Parliamentarian. PM Modi mentioned the remarkable campaign of Healthy Mother and Healthy Child in the constituency of Shri Om Birla. He also remarked on the good work done by Shri Birla in taking health services to the rural areas of Kota, his constituency. He also praised Shri Birla’s promotion of sports in his constituency. 

Recalling Shri Birla’s leadership for the last Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister called that period to be a golden period in our Parliamentary history. Remembering the transformative decisions taken during the 17th Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister praised the Speaker’s leadership. The Prime Minister mentioned Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Jammu Kashmir Reorganization, Bhartiya Nyay Samhita, Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Samhita, Samajik Suraksha Samhita, Personal Data Protection Bill, Muslim Mahila Vivah Adhikar Sanrakshan Vidheyak, Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Bill, Consumer Protection Bill, Direct Tax – Vivad se Vishwas Vidheyak; all landmark Acts that were passed under the Speakership of Shri Om Birla. 

The Prime Minister said the long journey of democracy witnesses various stopovers that provide the opportunity to create new records. He expressed confidence that the people of India will continue to cherish the 17th Lok Sabha in the future for its achievements as he lauded the work accomplished in the 17th Lok Sabha towards making India a modern nation. He assured the House that the new Parliament building will pave the way for Amrit Kaal’s future under the Hon’ble Speaker’s guidance. Shri Modi recalled the inauguration of the new Parliament building under the chairmanship of the present Speaker and also praised the steps taken towards strengthening the foundations of democratic methodologies. He also lauded the paperless workflow and the systematic briefing process initiated by the Speaker to boost discussions in the House. 

The Prime Minister also praised the Speaker for a very successful P-20 Conference of Presiding Officers of legislative bodies of G-20 nations which was attended by a record number of countries. 

The Prime Minister said that the Parliament House is not just walls but is the center of aspiration of 140 crore citizens. He emphasized that the functioning of the house, conduct and accountability deepen the foundation of democracy in our country. The Prime Minister mentioned the record productivity of the 17th Lok Sabha which stood at 97 per cent. Shri Modi also mentioned the personal touch and concern of the Speaker for the Members of the House during the Corona pandemic. He praised Shri Birla for not letting the pandemic stall the functioning of the House when productivity reached 170 percent. 

Prime Minister Modi lauded the balance shown by the Speaker in maintaining the decorum of the House which also involved taking several tough decisions. He expressed gratitude towards the Speaker for choosing to uphold the values of the House while maintaining the traditions. 

The Prime Minister expressed immense confidence in the 18th Lok Sabha becoming a success by serving the people and realizing their dreams and aspirations. Concluding his address, the Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes to Shri Om Birla for the pivotal responsibility enshrined upon him and to take the nation to new heights of success. 

 

 

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One nation, One election

                                                                       (Photo: Think India)

“One nation, one election”, might sound good as well as appealing, but it will have a number of anti-democratic consequences. It’s true saying that simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and State Assembly could save time, energy and money of our country, but on the other side it can prove to be harmful for our country as well as democracy.

Apart from logical considerations, which cannot be a serious reason for a major change to the basic structure of the Indian polity, the most seductive argument in favor of simultaneous elections is the allure of Modi’s phrase, “One nation, one election.” This matches the “one nation, one tax” rationale for the goods and services tax (GST), which, of course, came into force via its own constitutional amendment on 1 July, 2017.

While one can debate the economic costs and benefits of GST, the analogy with elections is logically flawed. Indeed, the concept of simultaneous elections fundamentally runs against the grin of our Westminster-style federal political union. “One nation, one election” would make sense if India were a unitary state. But we are a union of states, which is philosophically and politically an essentially different conception of the Indian nation-state. With this, let us discuss the disadvantages of holding simultaneous elections in India:

  • Rule by the majority is the cardinal principle of Indian democracy. The concept of simultaneous elections goes against this principle since if elections are held simultaneously then the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies cannot be dissolved before completing their full period of 5 years even if the ruling party is reduced to a minority hence it will go against the federal principles.
  •  It will disown today’s reality of fragmented quality at the state level where coalitions are the order of the day. So, simultaneous elections try to bring in the presidential type of governance where the state assembly is no longer can decide their own path and have to be in existence for 5 years with a minority party in power.
  • Even if elections were to take place simultaneously, parties contesting in only one state would anyway be similarly burdened. So, it probably takes care of only national parties. And the logistic requirement of movement of the requisite security forces. This constant would remain even if simultaneous elections were held.

So, it can be said that holding simultaneous elections is certainly desirable but not feasible. The question which arises is, “Why should the states suffer from the electoral decisions taken at the centre?” It has been said that simultaneous elections would curtail government expenditure but the election commission has updated that for this it would require the procurement of 24 lakh EVMs and an equal number of VVPAT units which is double the number required to hold only parliamentary polls. So, the first objective is not met.

Therefore, notwithstanding the benefits of simultaneous elections highlighted above, the cost to the Indian democracy in terms of playing havoc with the cardinal principle of rule by the majority will be far more than any savings to be realized to the public exchequer. Rather other alternatives should be explored to reduce election-related expenses like state funding of elections, decriminalization of politics, bringing in transparency in political funding by linking Aadhaar card to the election Identity card which has still not been done, etc.