Speaker: Assemblies play decisive role in strengthening constitutional values

Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Tuesday said the state legislative bodies play an important, decisive role in strengthening the constitutional values by upholding the principles that are enshrined in the Constitution.

Advertisement

Addressing the 85th All-India Presiding Officers Conference being held at Bihar Legislative Assembly House in Patna today, he said the Himachal Assembly had upheld the constitutional values, which play an important role in strengthening society and promoting democratic governance

On this occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Dr Harivansh, Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and Bihar Legislative Council Speaker Awadhesh Narayan Singh were present. Deputy Speaker of Himachal Assembly Vinay Kumar was also present.

Addressing the conference, Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said today’s topic is what has been the contribution of the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies in strengthening the Constitution of the country. Pathania said we became independent, the country got the Constitution, the country moved forward, arrangements were made, Constitutions were made and everyone tried to contribute in strengthening the Constitution.

Speaking in the context of Himachal, Pathania said the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh was a member of the Constituent Assembly and involved in the drafting of the Constitution. “Himachal Pradesh was formed in 1948 and became the 18th state of the Indian Republic on January 25, 1971. Despite adverse circumstances, Himachal has moved forward on the path of development with our development indices being amongst the top in the country,” he remarked.

He said the Himachal Assembly enacted the Land Ceiling Act in 1973 and under its Section 118, no outsider can buy the land in Himachal Pradesh. We have made all these provisions in public interest to strengthen the state, he added.

Pathania said the Constitution was a sacred document which embodies the principles of democracy, federalism and social justice. It lays the foundation of governance, law and social structure of our country and in the words of Dr BR Ambedkar, “The Constitution is a document which lays down the framework of the country’s policy.”