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Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu has expressed concern over the erosion of values in public life, and cautioned that people will lose faith in the political class unless urgent and collective action is taken towards cleansing the system and promoting clean politics.
Delivering the third Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture organised by the India Foundation in Hyderabad on Saturday, Naidu emphasised that it is the duty of all political parties to ensure that their members, including legislators, maintain ethical conduct at all times and at all places.
End ‘politics of convenience’
Drawing attention to the manner in which the anti-defection laws have been rendered ineffective, Naidu emphasised the need to make anti-defection laws more stringent and effective.
Remarking that defection matters cannot remain undecided for long periods, the Vice President suggested making it mandatory for the presiding officers to dispose of defection matters within three months. “We will be making a mockery of democracy if we fail to plug the loopholes in anti-defection laws,” he scathingly commented.
The Vice President wanted all political parties to put an end to ‘politics of convenience’ and practice the ‘Politics of Conviction’ and ‘Politics of Consensus’ as demonstrated by late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee fast-tracked development in various sectors, from rail connectivity, air connectivity, tele connectivity, and he even achieved political connectivity. He brought many parties together on the same platform with his style of politics.
Remembering Vajpayee
Paying rich tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Vice President called him as one of the most respected and admired Prime Ministers in India and abroad.
Terming him as an embodiment of decency, dignity and decorum, Naidu said he inspired the people of the country and enjoyed their goodwill and confidence. He called Vajpayee as a man of impeccable integrity and high moral values, who never compromised on the values in which he believed.
Recalling his amicable nature, the Vice President said Vajpayee only had friends, and no foes, across the political spectrum, and called it the rarest of virtues in our public life. He enriched the debates with the force of his thoughts, the flow of language, the punch and the wit and his occasional poetic expressions.
The Vice President described him as a towering intellectual and an orator par excellence, whose simplicity and disarming innocence struck an instant chord with masses. “We sadly miss his presence but are always reminded of his persona,” he added.
Lauding Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his contribution in the domain of coalition politics, Naidu called him as the ‘Father of Coalition Practices’ in India.
His 13-day stint as the Prime Minister for the first time, the 13-month second tenure and the subsequent full term of five years as the Prime Minister was a clear indication of the emergence and consolidation of a new spirit of nationalism in the country reflecting the change in the mindset of the people. “We are now witnessing a further consolidation of this spirit,” he said.
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