Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday underscored the need to uphold the dignity of the Speaker’s post, calling it the collective responsibility of both the government and the opposition to ensure parliamentary proceedings adhere strictly to established rules. He cautioned that assemblies which failed to maintain their decorum in history faced “dire consequences.”
Shah was speaking at the inauguration of the two-day All India Speakers’ Conference hosted at the Delhi Legislative Assembly. He noted that the platform provides lawmakers with an opportunity to strengthen the neutrality and prestige of the Speaker’s role, which he described as central to India’s democratic functioning.
“It is an opportunity for all of us to work towards increasing the dignity and respect of the post of the Speaker. We should strive to provide an unbiased platform for raising people’s issues. The government and opposition must ensure debates are conducted as per rules of the House. In our 13,000-year-long history, whenever assemblies have lost their dignity, societies have faced dire consequences,” Shah said.
The Home Minister also paid tribute to Vitthalbhai Patel on the centenary of his appointment as the first Indian Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly on August 24, 1925. He described Patel as a pioneering figure who laid the foundation of India’s legislative traditions.
“Today marks a hundred years of Vitthalbhai Patel becoming Speaker of the Central Assembly. Gujarat gave the nation two great sons—Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who worked tirelessly alongside Mahatma Gandhi for independence, and Vitthalbhai Patel, who built the framework of our legislative system. Their contributions continue to shape India’s democracy,” Shah remarked.
Before addressing the gathering, Shah paid floral tribute to Vitthalbhai Patel at the historic Assembly chamber, where the roots of India’s legislative history were first established under the Government of India Act, 1919.
