PM: Time for qualitative change, quantitative leap forward in India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opening the new Legislative Assembly, Secretariat Complex, in Chennai on March 13, 2010. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu, B S Yeddyurappa of Karnataka and K Rosaiah of Andhra Pradesh are also seen.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India could not and should not rest on its laurels and the time had come for it to make a qualitative change and take a quantitative leap forward. 

"India is on the cusp of a change...As a nation, we must strive to do things differently," he said while inaugurating the new Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly-Secretariat Complex here this evening.

Saying that, on many fronts, Tamil Nadu was today a role model for the rest of India, Dr Singh hoped the young people of the state would show the way forward in doing things differently.

"We need a more educated people, a more efficient economy, a more equitable society. We also need a creative people, an innovative people, a people who don’t just try to cross hurdles but know how to avoid them. Finding new ways to go forward. New ways to do old things. The age of innovation is upon us. If we do not innovate, we will be left behind by history," he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu, B S Yeddyurappa of Karnataka and K Rosaiah of Andhra Pradesh and Union Ministers P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, M Veerappa Moily, M K Azhagiri and Dayanidhi Maran and Speker R Avudaiappan were amongst those present on the occasion.

Dr Singh also said legislatures were sacred places. "They are places for working for the cause of our sisters and brothers who have bestowed upon us the privilege to represent them. They are places for upholding the ideals of our Constitution and indeed for bringing them into action," he said.

He said legislators appraised contemporary legislation and enacted new laws. To discharge their responsibility effectively they should not only be alert and well informed but should also be alive to the basic concerns of Indian polity, he said.

He said all power had to be regarded as societal trust and to be used for public good. "Only then would our legislators be able to work effectively towards providing our people a life of dignity and self respect. Legislators are also watchdogs of public finances and they must ensure that there is no wasteful use of public money, and that the resource mobilization processes do not adversely affect the incentives for savings, risk bearing and the quest for entrepreneurship and pursuit of innovation," he said.

The Prime Minister said that, collectively, legislators needed to deal sternly with corruption and inefficiency in the governance processes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enters the new Legislative Assembly, Secretariat Complex, in Chennai, after inaugurating it on March 13, 2010. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi are also seen.

"All this is a tall order but I am sure that in these new premises we will witness new heights of legislative competence and legislative propriety, with discussions being guided by the spirit of tolerance, accommodation and deep and abiding concern for the well being of the common people," he said.

"I hope in these premises we will see a new India speaking, a new Tamil Nadu speaking, a new India being guided, a new India being inspired by the shining example of the Tamil people," he said.

Dr Singh spoke at length about the glorious history of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the great men and women who had brought distinction and honour to it.

In particular, he referred to leaders such as C Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and C Annadurai, C Subramaniam, R Venkataraman and M G Ramachandran. He also praised the role of Mr Karunanidhi, saying the UPA had greatly benefited from his wisdom and leadership.

"I have turned to him often for advice. Karunanidhiji has been in our public life for over half a century. We are truly fortunate that we can draw on his experience and wisdom in managing the affairs of our nation," he said.

He noted that Tamil Nadu had marched forward as a model of development, attaining new heights of rural development and agrarian transformation. He pointed out the State was the hub of India's dynamic automobile industry and had some of the most modern textile mills and a vibrant services economy.

"The State is also the cynosure of our nation’s eyes because of the high quality of its educational system and its urban development programmes. It has a proud tradition of a very responsive and efficient district and municipal administration," he remarked.

The Prime Minister also had a word of praise for the the high quality of the State's political leadership and administrative machinery. "I compliment the members of the panchayat raj institutions, of the municipalities, of the State assembly and of all the administrative services for the good work they have done to take Tamil Nadu forward," he added.

Like Dr Singh, Ms Gandhi also used the occasion to shower praise on Mr Karunanidhi and said the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha would not have been possible without the support of his Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

"He has been chief minister for eighteen years and his legislative career spans over half a century. He is the senior-most political leader in our country and since the inception of our coalition we have valued his wise counsel and support," she said.

Ms Gandhi also referred to the history of the assembly, which goes back to 1861, when, under the Indian Councils Act, a small body called the Legislative Council, began to exercise legislative power to make laws for "peace and good government".

Since then, that legislative body crossed a number of milestones before finally, in July 1937 it was reconstituted as the Madras Legislative Assembly under the Government of India Act of 1935. After Independence and the adoption of the Constitution of India, this Assembly was again re-constituted in March 1952.

Ms Gandhi pointed out that the first woman to sit in any Indian legislature was Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, who became a member in 1927.

The Congress President underscored the importance of preserving the federal nature of the Constitution.

"The essence of its structure is, as we all know, a close and symbiotic balanced partnership among the three levels—Centre, states and local bodies. Most matters that concern development—especially social development—are in the domain of state legislatures. Further, State Legislatures are empowered - and now obliged - to transfer many of these powers to Panchayats and Municipalities so that the control over the development process is vested in public representatives at the grass roots level. These provisions enhance, and do not diminish, the federal nature of our polity. If implemented in the right spirit, these provisions will accelerate the process of inclusive growth and development," she said.

Ms Gandhi also mentioned that Tamil Nadu had been a model for growth and development in many respects and applaudd the many achievements of the State.

She said the people of the country had reposed great faith in the parliamentary system and, therefore, it behoved legislators to take the business of a legislature seriously, which is, quite simply, to pass legislation, question ministers, debate policies and hold the executive accountable.

NNN