Belgaum: Concerned over the stalling of legislative bodies, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said disruption of House proceedings should never be allowed to be used as an effective parliamentary intervention.
"There may be occasions when normal business of the House is suspended to take up an urgent issue on which a large number of members are agitated. But such occasions should be few and far between," he said.
Addressing members of both houses of Karnataka legislature after inaugurating Suvarna Soudha, the second Secretariat complex here, he said members can utilize adequate provisions under rules to raise issues but disruption of proceedings by frequent adjournments cannot be justified.
"Cardinal principle of effective functioning of Parliamentary system is majority will rule and minority will oppose, expose and if possible, depose," he said.
"But this should be done within the framework of rules framed by legislatures themselves. Disruption should never be allowed to be used as an effective Parliamentary intervention," he added.
He also rued over the decline in time devoted by legislators towards legislation and said they must always remember that as representatives of the people and custodians of public interests and rights, they have to be extremely careful in matters of legislation, money and finance.
"Legislatures must be responsible and responsive to this huge task entrusted on it by the Constitution to keep the wheels of the democratic functioning moving smoothly," he added.
To discharge this responsibility, Mukherjee, said
legislature must meet frequently.
"The work which can be done through Committees should be done at that stage and the core business of legislature should be accomplished through regular sittings. Therefore, sittings of legislature should be more frequent and they should meet at least for 20 to 25 weeks in a year," he added.
"It is a sad commentary, going by the recent trends which we are noticing, that the legitimate functioning of the legislative bodies is jeopardized by fewer number of days in session," he said.
Elected representatives had the responsibility of ensuring that actions of the government are in harmony with the wishes and interests of the people, he said adding they needed to be exemplary models of good conduct and responsible behaviour.
He also said a vibrant and prosperous Karnataka was a goal which can be achieved in the near term and it is the legislature more than any other institution which can ensure rapid progress towards this objective.
PTI
