PM Modi in Bihar: India on way to becoming a ‘mature democracy’

The PM said legislatures represent people’s aspirations and the conscientiousness of the people should get reflected through the behaviour of the elected representatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India was the “mother of all democracies”, drawing upon the legacy of ancient republics like Vaishali, and expressed satisfaction over the nation’s march towards becoming a “mature democracy”.

PM Modi addresses the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, in Patna. (PTI)

Modi made the remark at a function in Patna organised on the occasion of centenary celebrations of Bihar Assembly as part of which he unveiled a commemorative pillar, planted a sapling of “Kalpataru” tree and laid foundation stones of a guest house and a library.

“... We are often told that India is the largest democracy. I would like countrymen to remember that we are not just the largest; India is the mother of all democracies,” Modi said.

Expressing delight over being “the first Prime Minister to have visited the Assembly of Bihar”, Modi recalled that the state was home to Vaishali, said to be the oldest republic in the world.

The PM said legislatures represent people’s aspirations and the conscientiousness of the people should get reflected through the behaviour of the elected representatives.

He said the nation was “on its way to becoming a mature democracy”, which was evident from “better attendance of lawmakers inside Parliament and state assemblies” and “discarding of obsolete laws”. “In the last few years there has been a record increase in the attendance of MPs in the Parliament and in the productivity of the Parliament,” he said.

Referring to Bihar’s rich contribution, he said, “After independence, the Zamindari Abolition Act was passed in this assembly. Taking this tradition forward, Nitishji’s government passed an act like Bihar Panchayati Raj, making Bihar the first state where women were given 50 per cent reservation in Panchayats. This Assembly is an example of how equal participation and equal rights are pursued in democracy to social life.”

In his speech, chief minister Nitish Kumar said it was a memorable day that a Prime Minister had visited the Vidhan Sabha for the first time. “You have come today and it is a matter of pride,” he said.

Leader of Opposition Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav demanded that a School of Democracy and Legislative Studies be started in Bihar to make the day truly memorable. He also demanded Bharat Ratna for Bihar’s socialist icon Karpoori Thakur.

Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a rally of his party BJP at the temple town of Deoghar in Jharkhand after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of projects worth over ₹16,800 crore for the state, including an airport in Deoghar.

“We had long been nurturing the dream of Deoghar airport. It will boost employment and create new opportunities. Other new projects will also benefit Bihar and West Bengal,” the PM said.

He said the Bokaro-Angul gas pipeline, which was also launched during the day, would benefit 11 districts of Jharkhand and Odisha.

Modi said while populist measures may bring votes for the political parties resorting to it in the short run, it is bound to hit the country in the long run. “Short cut politics is a challenge today. People could get votes through populist measures. But the truth is that any country that resorts to short-cut politics is bound to face short-circuit. Because such politics does not require hard work and neither do they have to think about its long-term impact. But there is no short-cut for hard work,” he said.