NEW DELHI: In what appeared to be a defense of the new farm laws and other reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday he said that all decisions must be made with the national interest and that of current and future generations in mind, even when he quoted Guru Nanak as saying that “dialogue must continue” on the issues of the day.
In a speech to mark the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Parliament building, Modi said that democracy has always been a means of resolving differences. Specifically quoting Guru Nanak’s teachings, he said: “Guru Nanak had said, ‘jab tak sansar rahe, tab tak sambad chalte rehna chahiye’ (as long as the universe exists, the dialogue must continue).”
The prime minister’s remarks came against the backdrop of various opposition parties skipping the show. No Congressional leader was present except former President Shivraj Patil (former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent a message), and DMK, TMC, NCP, left-wing parties, Shiv Sena, SAD and SP failed in the process.
Several opposition parties have opposed the Central View Redevelopment plan and those who did not show up have supported the farm unions that oppose the new farm laws. Those who attended included YSRCP and BJD. “I am happy to witness a historic occasion,” said BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab.
Speaking and listening is the life of dialogue, this is the soul of democracy. There may be differences in policies and politics, but there should be no differences in the end goal of serving the people. All of our debate and dialogue, whether inside or outside Parliament, must reflect our oath of service to the nation and our dedication to the national interest, ”said the Prime Minister.
“When we work with the national interest as top priority, no one can stop the emergence of a self-sufficient and prosperous India,” Modi said, adding that in India, democracy forms the “soul of the nation, it is a way of life.” .
Calling the foundation stone ceremony a milestone, Modi said that the laws enacted within the existing Parliament and the debates there are part of the country’s democratic legacy, but that it was important to accept the reality that it “now needs to rest.”
He said the new Parliament building would exemplify the “coexistence of the new and the old.” The prime minister said that while the old House of Parliament headed the country after independence, the new one would fulfill the aspirations of the 21st century. He stressed that the lessons of the past must be learned and the opportunities available must not be lost. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla He said the current House of Parliament required restructuring so that members could fulfill their constitutional duties, but noted that it was a heritage structure.
He said members had time and again voiced their desire for a modern, high-tech Parliament building for the world’s largest functioning democracy. Modi said that just as the National War Memorial has created a new identity beyond the India Gate, the new House of Parliament will establish its own identity and generations to come will be proud to see that it was built in independent India.
The Prime Minister mentioned how after independence doubts arose about the future of the country and it was predicted that democracy will not be successful in India. “But today we can proudly say that we have proven the detractors wrong.”
He said that Indian democratic traditions predate the Magna Carta, a 13th-century document that many scholars regard as the framework of a modern republic. The Prime Minister said that there are no rituals as such to consecrate the “temple of democracy” and it is the representatives of the people who come to this temple who will consecrate it.
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