The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu today said that Parliament must support constructive initiatives of the Government and suggest solutions to the challenges as they emerge as the government depends on the collective advice of the Parliament.“The Parliamentarians should, therefore, be virtuous, mature and wise so that they can collectively be a body that guides the nation’s future in the right direction,” he said.Addressing the gathering after presenting Lokmat Parliamentary Awards in New Delhi, the Vice President called upon Parliamentarians and the Media to actively take part in addressing social challenges like poverty, illiteracy, gender discrimination, and atrocities against women that were impeding the progress of India.He opined that addressing these challenges was extremely important to take India on an inclusive path of development and to see that every citizen receives benefits from the growth process.Stating that the media has a major role in holding Parliamentarians accountable to their people and that an informed citizenry was a precondition for a healthy democracy and a transparent and accountable Parliament, the Vice President called upon media houses like Lokmat to ensure this accountability by informing and educating people.Shri Naidu said that as the Fourth Pillar of our democracy, media must take lead in sensitizing people on key issues and also in creating a positive environment for promoting social good and getting rid of social evils.
Pointing out that of late, certain aberrations like paid news and fake news, corporate influence and coloring news with political views of reporters and editors, Shri Naidu said that such trends need must be curbed at the earliest.Stressing that media and the representative Parliamentary institutions must synergize their efforts to strengthen the democratic roots in the country and encourage a culture of constructive Parliamentary debates, the Vice President urged media to facilitate a healthy interface between all the stakeholders in parliamentary democracy.Opining that people were keen to assume a role in constructive campaigns for social resurgence and nation-building, the Vice President said that Parliament and parliamentary processes must reflect people’s aspirations and there was a need to raise the number of sittings annually according to the needs.Shri Naidu observed that it was the primary duty of elected Members to not only reflect people’s will but also provide guidance to the Government as well as people and avoid unruly behaviour. “Members must eschew populism for a righteous principled stand for the good of society and country,” he said.He also stressed that Parliamentary Committees must actively supplement the debates in the Parliament.Leader of Congress Party in Lok Sabha, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Members of Parliament, Shri Shard Pawar, Smt. Jaya Bachchan, Dr. Suagat Roy, Shri Tiruchi Siva, Smt Biplov Thakur, Smt. Supriya Sule, Smt. Kahkashan Parveen and Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar, Former Secretary General, Lok Sabha, Dr. Subhash C Kashyap, National Editor, Lokmat Media Group, Shri Harish Gupta and Chairman, Lokmat Media Group, Shri Vijay Darda were among the dignitaries who graced the occasion.