Criminalisation of politics is gradually decreasing but should go down further: Om Birla

Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], February 25 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that criminalisation of politics is gradually decreasing in the country, but should go down further.
The Lok Sabha Speaker further stated that to keep a check on criminalisation in politics, the Election Commission keeps on bringing necessary legislations, adding that the Supreme Court has also given directions addressing the same.
"From time to time, the Election Commission keeps making rules and procedures on criminalisation in politics. The Supreme Court also keeps on giving directions. Certainly, it is believed that criminalisation in politics should not be there. Now, we are trying to figure out how to prevent this and I think that since the representatives are elected by the people, their decision is supreme. I believe that criminalisation in politics is gradually getting reduced and there is a need to reduce it further," said Birla.
Birla expressed his views while speaking to ANI on reaching Shillong to attend the conference on 'Outreach and Familiarisation Programme for the Local Bodies of the State of Meghalaya and the other North Eastern States'.
The Lok Sabha Speaker, while talking about the need to strengthen the democratic system, also emphasised on strengthening the role of the Panchayati Raj system and local bodies and making them more accountable.
He said, "there was a discussion with the members of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya on how democratic systems can be used for the welfare of each and every person of the society. Tomorrow there will be a discussion with the people of Panchayati Raj, Autonomous District Council (ADC), social workers and local bodies on how we can make the role of all the elected institutions strong and accountable and how should they work with accountability so that problems can be solved through these institutions."
Speaking about the cultural heritage of Meghalaya and the importance of the state in the development of the North-East region, Birla said, "I can say that Meghalaya is on the path of continuous progress among all the states of the North East. They have preserved the glorious cultural traditions, heritage and I can definitely say that in the coming years, Meghalaya will become a major state, not only in the North-East but also in the country, where domestic and foreign tourists will visit and we will successfully establish a tourism hub here.