Other States - Rajasthan   

MLAs cross party barriers to form common platform

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: A group of MLAs in Rajasthan have agreed to meet regularly in a common forum to debate and deliberate on important issues pertaining to the State irrespective of their party affiliations. The first meeting of the forum, christened "Vidhayak Samvad", was held recently on the Rajasthan Assembly premises in the presence of Speaker Sumitra Singh. The forum has been set up at the initiative of Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS), an NGO.

"In keeping with the demand of the times, the MLAs belonging to all political parties should work on important issues such as water and electricity for creating public opinion. The new forum would provide the legislators with an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of public interest outside the Assembly and reach a consensus beyond the confines of their political affiliations," Ms. Singh said delivering the inaugural address.

There was a need for leaders of all parties, cutting across the party lines, to work on issues of public importance, she said. During the Assembly session, people's representatives were at times not in a position to deliberate openly on these issues. And discussions at times lacked the essential excellence because of political intrusion, Ms. Singh noted.

Highlighting the need for such a forum, CUTS secretary-general Pradeep S. Mehta said through this set-up the people's representatives could work on issues of public importance and common good after serious deliberations. Every political party in power had the objective of development of the State. However, the benefits of development did not trickle down to the poor, he said.

Mr. Mehta said public participation in Government projects on issues such as water and electricity was important. There had been a felt need to create such a forum in order to raise the issues of public importance, he said.

Deputy Speaker Ram Narayan Bishnoi lamented that no serious discussion takes place during the Assembly sessions. "This forum will prove to be useful for deliberating such issues," he observed.

Senior Congress MLA C. P. Joshi said the governments led by different political parties over the years had spent huge amounts on water and electricity and reached agreements on these two basic necessities with the governments of other States. The MLAs needed to talk to their respective parties on these issues and discuss them in the Assembly as well to create consensus by deliberating in this forum, he suggested.

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