Patna, Feb 17 (PTI) To make Parliament and legislatures of states effective, it is necessary for public representatives to be sensitive to the problems of people and work towards fulfilling their hopes through legislative means, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said here on Thursday. Speaking at a programme to mark the centennial of the state legislative building, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, public representatives should ensure that the aspirations of people are fulfilled and welfare schemes reach the last person in the row so that positive socio-economic transformation takes place in society. “Today, when we are celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava, we need to rededicate ourselves to strengthen our country and our democracy,” Birla said. India has a multi-party parliamentary system and governments come and go but whichever party is in power should strive to work positively in strengthening democracy, he said. Birla inaugurated an orientation programme for members of the Bihar legislative assembly and council and addressed a joint meeting of MLAs and MLCs. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh was also present on the occasion. Emphasising the need for maintaining dignity and decorum of the House, Birla said, “sanctity of the House is linked to conduct of the members in a democratic country. Therefore, it is the collective responsibility of the members to maintain it”. The House is meant for debates and dialogues and not “planned disruption”. Expressing concern over sloganeering and the use of placards in the wells of the Houses, Birla said the time has come for all legislators and political parties to collectively find a solution to this. Observing that lawmakers should maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct, Birla said “their conduct should be such that it raises the prestige of this House, inspires society, and sets an example for others”. He said 42 per cent of the legislators in the Bihar assembly were first-timers and that an orientation programme would be highly useful for them. Besides launching Bihar Vidhan Sabha Digital TV and Bihar Vidhan Sabha Patrika, Birla also unveiled a replica of ‘Shatabdi Smriti Stambh’ of Bihar Vidhan Sabha Bhawan and planted a Bodhi tree. Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Speaker of Bihar Legislative Assembly, said, “The Bihar Legislature is becoming more people-oriented and participatory”. Addressing the gathering, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said legislators represent not only their constituencies but also the state. They must participate in discussions and raise issues concerning people effectively in the House, he said, adding debates should not be allowed to get bitter. Elected representatives act as a bridge between the public and the government, and their primary responsibility is to find solutions to people’s problems, the chief minister said. Bihar Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhury, in his speech, urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to intervene when the judiciary makes “casual remarks” on legislation. “It hurts when the judiciary makes a statement that the legislature does not review the implementation of laws”, he said. Referring to recent statements on prohibition in Bihar, he said the legislature should not be allowed to become a punching bag. Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav said, “We must protect the sanctity of democratic institutions. We must ensure that the essential institutions of a democratic framework are respected and their sanctity maintained”. The orientation programme was organised by Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), and Lok Sabha Secretariat, in coordination with the Bihar Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the members of both the state Assembly and Legislative Council. PTI PKD MM MM