Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday emphasised the importance of maintaining the dignity and respect of the Speaker's post, stressing that both the government and opposition must ensure proceedings are conducted strictly according to House rules. He warned that historically, assemblies that lost their dignity faced "dire consequences."
Union Minister Shah made these remarks while inaugurating the two-day All India Speakers' Conference at the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
Mr Shah stated that the All India Speakers Conference provides an opportunity for leaders to work towards increasing the dignity and respect of the post of the Speaker.
"It is an opportunity for all of us to work towards increasing the dignity and respect of the post of the Speaker. We should strive to offer an unbiased platform to raise the issues of the people of our country. An unbiased argument must be done by the government and the opposition. We must ensure that the functioning of the House is carried out as per the rules of the respective House... In our 13000-year-long history, whenever the assemblies have lost their dignity, we have had to face dire consequences," the Union Minister said.
Mr Shah commemorated the centenary of Vitthalbhai Patel's appointment as Speaker of the Central Assembly.
Patel was appointed the President of the Central Legislative Assembly (Speaker) on August 24, 1925 and was the first Indian to hold the position of Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly.
He said, "Today is the day when the legislative history of the country began, and we are present in the same House where it began. On this day, the legislative history of India began with the great freedom fighter, Vitthalbhai Patel, becoming the Speaker of the Central Assembly. And today, all the Speakers, Deputy Speakers and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council who run the legislatures of the country are present here. So, in a way, the entire legislative system that has created a golden history and which is working towards a golden future is present in this historic House today."
"It is a matter of pride for all of us that today we all have gathered on the occasion of completion of 100 years of Vitthalbhai Patel becoming Speaker of Central Assembly... When we talk about Vitthalbhai Patel, the people of Gujarat, proudly say that the state had given two brothers Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who worked day and night with Mahatma Gandhi for country's independence and Vitthalbhai Patel, who laid the foundation of India's legislative traditions and made it possible for today's democracy to work," Mr Shah added.
Before addressing the event, Union Minister Shah also paid tribute to Vithalbhai Patel, India's first elected Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly. The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the bicameral legislature of British India, established by the Government of India Act 1919.
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