New Delhi, Nov 20: New Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Wednesdaty voiced concern over "serious threats" to bonds of national integration and secular fabric and asked the states to be guided by the principles of "Raj Dharma". "Manifestations of social and religious disharmony have sadly been on the increase. We now need a pro-active effort towards weaving a strong secular fabric," he told members replying to felicitations by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other leaders on his assumption as Chairman of the Upper House.
Shekhawat, who has been in public life for nearly 50 years, said India's enemies were using terrorism as a weapon to stall the country's development and urged people to remain united to fully combat the menace.
Concerned over frequent disruptions in proceedings, he called for serious introspection on the conduct of Parliamentarians and sought session-wise evaluation of relevance and effectiveness of discussions.
"I urge you to do serious introspection and find out as to what in reality is the prevailing public perception," Shekhawat, who was a Rajya Sabha member from 1974 to '77, said.
"In my view public perception of the functioning of democracy is not only based on the quality of the governance provided by the Executive but also whether the public has respect for the proceedings in the House and considers these proceedings relevant to its welfare", he said, pondering whether MPs were setting the right standards for elected bodies to follow. Bureau Report