Vice President expresses anguish over disruptions in Parliament and State legislatures

The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu today expressed his anguish over disruptions in Parliament and State Legislatures and called upon people’s representatives to act as “role models” in raising the standards in public life and setting an example to younger generation.

Speaking after presenting “Sir M Visvesvarya Memorial Award’ to M R Jayaram, Chairman, M S Ramaiah Group of Institutions in Bengaluru, the Vice President, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that he was saddened by the “new low” witnessed in the Parliament recently as also in some legislatures, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Specifically referring to the recent unfortunate events in the Parliament, Naidu said that he was sad because of the bad behaviour of some members.

Disapproving the disruptive behaviour of some MPs, Naidu said that Assemblies and Parliament were meant to debate, discuss and decide and not disrupt. He said the people’s verdict must be respected in a democracy, while expressing dissent. “You can’t physically force anybody”, he added.

The Vice President wanted legislators at various levels in various positions to improve the quality of debate and discussion and expressed the hope that things would improve in the future.

By seeking inspiration from great people like Sir M Visvesvaraya, the Vice President urged the younger generation to come forward with new innovations and out-of-the-box ideas to accelerate the progress of the country. They should strive to eradicate poverty, remove regional disparities and build a strong nation while moving towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat, he added. He also called upon the youth to strive hard to excel in their chosen fields.

Paying rich tributes to Visvesvaraya, he hailed him as the ‘legendary builder-engineer of modern India’. Recalling his contribution in designing iconic projects such as the Krishna Sagar Dam in Mysore and the flood protection system in Hyderabad, among others, the Vice President said that it is a tribute to his engineering genius that we celebrate his birth anniversary each year as ‘Engineers Day’.

The Vice President also recalled Visvesvaraya’s vision as the Dewan of Mysore in founding many landmark institutions such as the Iron & Steel plant at Bhadravati, Mysore Soap Factory and Mysore Chamber of Commerce. Visvesvaraya spearheaded the movement for industrialization in India, even before our Independence.

Referring to his multi-faceted personality, the Vice President said “M. Visvesvaraya was an embodiment of the potential, aspirations and talent of a nascent, modern India”.

Conferring the ‘Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award’ on Dr. M. R. Jayaram, Chairman, MS Ramaiah Group of Institutions, Naidu commended him for his dedication and hard work in transforming the M.S. Ramaiah Group of Institutions into a vibrant educational hub. He also complimented FKCCI for encouraging innovation and promoting industrial development in the state

The award ceremony was held in the Banquet Hall of Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru. The Governor of Karnataka, Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basvaraj Bommai, Lok Sabha MP, P C Mohan, President of FKCCI, Perikal M Sundar and other dignitaries were present at the event.