1,500 MLAs get together for 1st national conference

In a oneofitskind event 1500 lawmakers from across the country had an opportunity to listen to the diverse views on the inaugural day of the first National Legislators ConferenceBharat NLC Bharat at Jio Centre on FridayInvited specially for the event MIT School of Government Pune the senior leaders encouraged the MLAs and MLCs to devote more time to the process of lawmaking and understanding issues that will help them to legislate laws that will ensure public goodAs part of academics four compendia on commendable governance initiatives practices of select legislators startups for grassroot innovations and democratic practices from other democratic countries were published Not much was discussed about it on the day but there was a lot for the legislators to consume A round table discussion on India2047 Our vision was one such that had senior leaders expressing their views of the shaping on the country in the next 25 yearsmdashthe year India will be 100Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis patrons of the event former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil Meira Kumar and Sumitra Mahajan Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra legislative council Neelam Gorhe MIT chief Dr Vishwanath Karad NLC Convener Rahul V Karad and host of presiding officers from other states were present Among the legislators 158 were womenOur paths are different butBefore the round table began in the afternoon session Fadnavis set the tone for India at 2047 while inaugurating the conference ldquoI believe that NLC Bharat is a platform that will rejuvenate Indiarsquos democracy and enrich the values of our parliamentary system We all know that Prime Minister Modi has referred to the last 25 years as the lsquoAmrut Kaalrsquo Era of Transformation and during this era our aim is to make India a developed nation Everyone present at this conference plays a significant role While our thoughts and paths may differ our instrument is the same democracy and our goal is to elevate India to new heights Ultimately we all have a common destination Together with our respective perspectives we must move towards that destinationrdquo he saidldquoI would like to underscore the fact that our democracy stands among the finest owing to the exceptional constitution given to us by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar This constitution possesses a remarkable uniqueness that based on my experience of 25 years enables us to pursue any objective aimed at the welfare of individuals Our democratic system exhibits an intricate system of checks and balances effectively distinguishing roles and responsibilities while simultaneously holding us accountable to the peoplerdquo he added saying that lawmakers should set their own agenda instead of allowing the media to set it for lsquousrsquo ldquoBut some of us want to be in the media glare We should remember that we have been elected to make laws work for the people and hence we should devote more days to the legislature to debate lawsrdquolsquoNew vision and resolutionrsquoChief guest Om Birla said the lawmakers have embarked on a new vision and a new resolution on Maharashtras land of historic significance valour and knowledge ldquoI am thrilled that distinguished speakers from different states and various ideologies have gathered here for this historic conference We are here to engage in discussions and contemplation on how to strengthen legislative institutions For the next two days we will delve into discussions and from this the nectar will flow spreading the essence of Indian democracy throughout the worldrdquoThe India2047 round table saw mostly opposition leaders in action Organisers said the BJP panellist hadnt turned upWhere does NE standChairman of Tipra Motha Party Pradyot Manik Deb Varma Tripura raised a question ldquoWhere will our tribals be after 25 years What say will we have in Indian politics by 2047rdquo He said states like Uttar Pradesh decided what the rest of the country should decide ldquoIt is important for lawmakers to leave their constituencies to visit the other areas regions so that they understand the reality the country The country will have to be humblerdquoldquoThe arrogant country abandons our very own peoplerdquo he said asking why the people were so angry and upset these days ldquoWe will have to abandon gussa as wellrdquo he said when a senior leader in the audience came with a sarcastic comment ldquoIndia is not one mans jaagir entityrdquo he addedChallenges in next 25 yearsFormer Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam underlined four major issues that the countrys political community will need to tackle on a priority basis According to him the countryrsquos population will be 170 crore in its 100 years ldquoWe have to think about it Population is not a problem but an asset and thatrsquos why our youth are dominant in many sectors world wide But food for all will be a thing to think across party lines At present the food production may be much more but hunger deaths are still reportedrdquo he saidlsquoAddress farming woesrsquoFarmersrsquo leader and former MP Raju Shetti said farmers have the ability and resolve to feed 170 crore by 2047 but to make it possible the policy will have to be in their favour ldquoFarmer suicides are on the rise The gap between Bharat and India is widened deliberately Global warming poses a great threat to the farming sector And yet we ask farmers to be competitive without helping them India has potential to be mahasatta policies are flawed We will have to follow Mahatma Gandhirsquos call lsquogo to villagesrsquordquo he saidlsquoFight over the pastrsquoCPM exMP Brinda Karat highlighted the fight over our past ldquoFuture cannot be perfect without analysing the past and make a common understanding based on it But these days we are divided over our past The difference of opinion has resulted in a bloodbathrdquo she saidShe said the country cannot progress without understanding the constitution that stresses secularism now a dirty word that some people want to be excluded from the constitutionPolitics and spiritualityldquoThe uniqueness of India lies in its spiritualityrdquo said Arif Mohammed Khan the governor of Kerala during the discussion on lsquopolitics and spiritualityrsquoThe panel comprised Swami Narismhananda from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vigyanand from the World Hindu Foundation and VHP Swami Yogi Amarnath Acharya Vivek Muni from the International Mahavir Jain Mission Dr Sampananda Mishra from Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Indian Culture and Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar ji from Judah Yam Synagogue New Delhi among others1500Participants in the NLC Bharat