By IANS,
Chennai: Urging legislators to sternly deal with corruption and inefficiency in governance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said that power needed to be regarded as a “societal trust” and used for public good.
“Legislators appraise contemporary legislation and enact new laws. To discharge their responsibility effectively, they should not only be alert and well informed but should also be alive to the basic concerns of Indian polity,” Manmohan Singh said at the opening of new Tamil Nadu assembly and secretariat complex.
“All power has to be regarded as a societal trust and to be used for public good. Only then would our legislators be able to work effectively towards providing our people a life of dignity and self respect,” he said, terming legislators the “watchdogs of public finances”.
He stressed that they must ensure that there was no wasteful use of public money and that the resource mobilization processes did not adversely affect the incentives for savings, risk bearing and the quest for entrepreneurship and pursuit of innovation.
“Collectively, they need to deal sternly with corruption and inefficiency in our governance processes. All this is a tall order but I am sure that in these new premises, we will witness new heights of legislative competence and legislative propriety, with discussions being guided by the spirit of tolerance, accommodation and deep and abiding concern for the well being of the common people.”
“Legislatures are sacred places. Our sisters and brothers have bestowed their belief on us to work for them. Legislators have to discharge their responsibility responsibly and effectively,” Manmohan Singh said.
Urging Tamil Nadu’s legislators and civil servants to think out-of-the-box the prime minister said: “They should show the way forward. I hope we shall see a new India with Tamil Nadu showing the way for others.”
The prime minister said that “India is on the cusp of change”.
“The time has come for a qualitative change and a quantitative leap forward. As a nation, we must strive to do things differently,” he emphasised.
Praising 86-year-old Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, the prime minister said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has benefited immensely from his wisdom.
“I have turned to him for advice. Under Karunanidhi’s leadership, Tamil Nadu has marched forward as a model of development. It is the cynosure of our nation because of its advancement in education and urban development,” Manmohan Singh remarked.
Speaking at the function, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said: “The first woman to sit in any legislature in India was in Tamil Nadu. It was Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy.”
Stressing that all is well with the Congress’ relationship with the DMK, Sonia Gandhi added: “Karunanidhi is the pillar of strength to the prime minister and the coalition. The women’s reservation bill could not have been possible without his support.”
Thanking Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi for visiting Tamil Nadu first after the passage of the women’s reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha, Karunanidhi said: “Congress and the DMK have been winning elections successfully. Attempts were made by some to break the relationship undertaking several journeys also with the use of media.”
He urged the central government to replicate his government’s welfare measures for the differently-abled and implement them nationwide.
The chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry, and several union and state ministers participated in the function.