Marking the move to a new parliament house, the leader of the Oppn spoke of India’s need for education, jobs, healthcare, a harmonious society, and of maintaining separation of executive and judiciary
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday, 19 September, said that from the old parliament building, the nation has witnessed a journey from colonial past to Independent India, and people have observed the “transition of destiny of this country that is India”.
Addressing a special function to commemorate the old parliament building, sitting on the dais in the Central Hall, Chowdhury said, “Having seized this opportunity, without any compunction and without mincing any words, I must state that I feel elevated and elated for having stood on this podium, which has witnessed a caravan of historical episodes and numerous momentous events in the midst of a galaxy of luminaries who had racked their brains and burned the midnight oil to frame the Constitution of India in this august House, which was called the Constituent Assembly.”
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday, 19 September, said that from the old parliament building, the nation has witnessed a journey from colonial past to Independent India, and people have observed the “transition of destiny of this country that is India”.
Addressing a special function to commemorate the old parliament building, sitting on the dais in the Central Hall, Chowdhury said, “Having seized this opportunity, without any compunction and without mincing any words, I must state that I feel elevated and elated for having stood on this podium, which has witnessed a caravan of historical episodes and numerous momentous events in the midst of a galaxy of luminaries who had racked their brains and burned the midnight oil to frame the Constitution of India in this august House, which was called the Constituent Assembly.”
The Congress leader said, “We are proud of all of them.”
He recalled the history of the old parliament building and said that in this House, in the year 1947, on 22 January, objective resolution no. 8 was passed and adopted — which was proposed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and required for shaping the Constitution in its subsequent stages.
“In this House, all are well experienced and know the journey and odyssey of our Constitution. From colonial past to Independent India, we have observed the transition of the destiny of this country that is India,” he said.
“It is astonishing to know that those 389 members intensely discussed among them for over 2 years, 11 months and 19 days and produced the largest constitution of the world, led by BR Ambedkar, the father of our Constitution.
“We have been given 395 Articles, also 22 parts and 8 schedules. So naturally the house which is called Central Hall, it is a historic hall — it will not only be known by its architectural splendour but its illustrious legacy,” Chowdhury said.
In his address, the leader of the Opposition also spoke of the business that faces the current occupants of the Houses of Parliament. He spoke of the problems of unemployment, the need to have harmony amidst heterogeneity, and the need to continue to maintain the separation between executive and judiciary.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that high unemployment rates pose a significant hurdle to India leveraging its demographic advantage.
“It is essential to enable India’s youthful population to contribute substantially to the country’s economic growth and development. Despite India being the world’s highest economy, our per capita GDP falls far behind that of developed nations.
“Tackling this economic growth challenge requires pro-growth government policies, mentoring low inflation, reducing interest rates, alleviating unemployment, fostering a skilled workforce, bolstering purchasing power, stimulating demand and enhancing the healthcare and education sector,” Chowdhury added.
He also said that separation of power between the judiciary and the executive should be maintained in a judicious manner.
He also highlighted growing concerns around intercommunal harmony: “India is not a homogenous society. Rather, it is a heterogeneous society. But now the need of the hour is to maintain a harmonious society,” he said.
Vice president of India and chair of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, prime minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi were others sharing the dais with Chowdhury.
Source: NH
”: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury){kind=link}