President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday addressed a joint session of the Uttar Pradesh legislative council and the legislative assembly, saying that the UP legislature has a glorious history of amicability between the ruling party and the opposition, news agency PTI reported.
Stating that there can be differences of ideology but there shouldn't be animosity between the two sides, the President said, "Sometimes, there have been undignified incidents which are contrary to this rich tradition. You have to make an effort to forget them by considering those as an exception.
"You all have to further strengthen the rich political tradition of UP. In a democracy, there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the opposition but there should not be any animosity (vaimanasya) between both the sides," Kovind said.
The President said that the legislature is a temple of democracy and the lawmakers are the 'bhaagyavidhata' or those who decide the destiny. Kovind said that the people of the state have expectations from the representatives who should fulfil them.
"The ambit of your public service must contain all the citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"The ambit of your public service must contain all the citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person," he said.
{{/usCountry}}The president also exuded confidence that UP will soon become "Uttam Pradesh".
"With your efforts, Uttar Pradesh will soon become Uttam Pradesh. When the largest state of the country achieves all the parameters of development, then the country's development will automatically get a backing."
Former chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav shared a picture of the joint session. “The festival of democracy should go on forever,” he tweeted.
(With PTI inputs)