Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said: “It is not only GST (bill) but many pro-poor steps are stuck in Parliament. You must have seen that these days this (disruptions) is being seen more.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said: “It is not only GST (bill) but many pro-poor steps are stuck in Parliament. You must have seen that these days this (disruptions) is being seen more. Meri marji (I will do what I desire). I will do whatever comes to my mind. Does the country run like this Democracy does not function with mantantra. The country does not run on its basis. Whatever you may think, the system does not run like this.”
The PM rued “due to Parliament not running this time, a particular law is also stuck, which we brought to enhance the bonus amount of the poor in jobs from '3,500 to '7,000. This also seeks to increase the salary ceiling for giving bonuses from the existing '7,000 to '21,000. Is this not directly a work for the poor ”
He said the government was requesting that Parliament be allowed to function. “And that is why we are requesting for allowing Parliament to run. There cannot be a bigger forum than Parliament for discussion, debate and communication. But if we will negate the institution itself, then there will be question marks on democracy itself.”
“We have to keep in mind the dignity of democracy and enact laws for the benefit of the common man and the country,” he said.
Making a strong pitch for people’s participation in the journey of India’s development and democracy, Mr Modi said the first thing is to have faith in the people and their strengths. “Our definition of democracy can’t be restricted to elections and governments only. Democracy is strengthened by Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation),” he said, calling for making development a mass movement and integrating every Indian in the nation’s development journey. “Then Loktantra becomes Lok Shakti,” he said, adding he wants to make the development journey a people’s movement on lines of what Mahatma Gandhi had done in India’s freedom struggle.
Mr Modi said the thought process of the government was to empower people and the country’s development could be done only through people’s participation. In a veiled dig at earlier Congress governments, he said had people’s participation in development been made a policy after Independence, the pace of development would have been a thousand times more.
