The Madras Legislative Council had sown seeds of a fully representative democratic form of governance

Chennai: The Madras Legislative Council had sown seeds of a fully representative democratic form of governance which were realised after Independence, said the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. He was speaking at the commemoration of the 100^th year of the Madras Legislative Council here today. He also unveiled a portrait of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi in the premises of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu on the occasion.

The Madras Legislative Council enacted many forward-looking legislations and also underwent many changes in its early decades. That spirit of democracy remains the guiding light of the state legislature and it would not be wrong to say that this legislature became the fountainhead of many progressive legislations which were subsequently replicated across the country to empower the weaker sections of society and strengthen democracy.

The President said this legislature can rightly be credited with nurturing the roots of democracy by focussing on governance to uplift the poor and purge social evils. Politics and governance in the region evolved around positive and rational content that targeted the welfare of those living on the margins. Abolition of the Devdasi system, widow remarriage, mid-day meals in schools and distribution of agricultural land to the landless were some of the revolutionary ideas that transformed the society. The concept of the welfare state has taken deep roots in this legislature irrespective of who rules here.

Kovind said that as the nation celebrates the 75^th anniversary of Independence, he would like to remember stalwarts of the national movement. “Our national movement spans from 1857, or even before, to 1947. During these decades, there were radicals and revolutionaries. There were pacifists and constitutionalists. They had different methods and they had different visions. But they were united in their reverence for the motherland. Each, in his or her own way, strove to serve Bharat Mata. Like different tributaries coming together in a river, they all came together for the cause of national independence,” he said.

The President said that they found a confluence in Gandhiji. Mahatma Gandhi not only personified all that was best in our culture and tradition, but he also improved upon the ideas of several western thinkers. Alongside him was a legion of patriots – lawyers, scholars, social reformers, religious and spiritual leaders and others. Each of them was matchless. Think of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: such a towering genius and such a visionary! But for each name written in history books, there were countless others whose names were never recorded. They sacrificed comforts, even careers, and sometimes their lives, so that we could live in a free nation.

He said that those few decades produced some of the greatest generations ever seen on the face of earth. To them, this country would ever remain in debt. To them, the only tribute we can pay is to be continuously inspired by their lives and their ideals. They gave us the gift of freedom but they also gave us responsibility. Their vision has been taking shape, but it is an ongoing process. Just as they each played their own part, we each have to play our part in taking the nation to new heights.

The President urged the youth to continuously engage with the past in order to understand the present and progress in the future. He said that in the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Subramania Bharati and others, they would find answers to questions that are arising in their minds. The President said that he found that the young generation is more and more interested in our recent history. They give him the hope that the work that began with the known and unknown freedom fighters would continue. That India, with its wisdom, would show the way to the world in this century.

– global bihari bureau