"Focal point of public trust," says PM Modi as House members bids farewell to Old Parliament building

New Delhi [India], September 18 : As Member of Parliamentarians across the political spectrum recalled their memories, experiences and listed achievements of the Parliament in the past 75 years, some MPs chose to voice their support for greater representation for women in the Parliament as they participated in a special discussion on 'Parliamentary Journey of 75 Years Starting from Samvidhan Sabha – Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings.
Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Monday hoped that the new building would produce great leaders who will have the competence of taking the country in the right track.
He said that laws cannot be framed in the Parliament to create terror among the general public.
"The historic building has witnessed many high-level debates. If the people in power, look at every person in the country with suspicion, then work cannot be done, laws are made to stop certain things, laws are not made to terrorize the people of the entire country," he said.
Initiating the discussion in Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister also referred to the Parliament shifting to the new building on Tuesday and said “bidding goodbye to this building is an emotional moment”.
Drawing an analogy to a family that shifts into a new home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,"It is a very emotional moment to bid farewell to the Old Parliament building. He reflected on the various moods that the House has witnessed in all these years and said that these memories are the preserved heritage of all the members of the house."
“This House of ours, which has seen all the ups and downs of Indian democracy, has been the focal point of public trust,”  PM Modi added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday recalled the emotional moment of his entering the Parliament as an MP for the first time in 2014, saying he bowed down to honour the temple of democracy and could have never imagined that a child belonging to a poor family would be able to enter the Parliament.
Addressing the House, the Prime Minister remarked that today is an occasion to recollect and reminisce the parliamentary journey of 75 years of India before the proceedings are shifted to the newly inaugurated building.
Speaking about the Old Parliament Building, the Prime Minister mentioned that the building served as the Imperial Legislative Council before India’s independence and was recognised as the Parliament of India post-independence. He pointed out that even though the decision to construct this building was made by foreign rulers, it was the hard work, dedication and money spent by Indians that went towards its development. 
Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi has said that the old building of the Parliament has an old history but the new building will serve India in the times to come.
Meenakshi Lekhi told ANI “As PM Modi said changes are part of life. In this change, as time passes by, buildings and people also change. This old building (of Parliament) has a very old history and in this history, we all have many memories linked. We came here as children earlier and now we are going to the second building as MP. We saw the abrogation of Article 370 here, saw the implementation of GST here, saw many old people coming and going from here, but all the memories will remain associated with this place. The new building will serve India in the times to come."
Calling it a 'historic day', Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday said that the 75 years of Parliament journey will be discussed throughout the day."Today, Parliament's journey of 75 years will be discussed. It will be discussed throughout the day. It is a historic day. I think this will be the last discussion in the (Old) Parliament building. From September 19 we will sit in the new Parliament building," Meghwal said.
Congress leader KC Venugopal on the first day of the special session of Parliament said that the new Parliament building is not important but the discussion inside it is very important. Today is the last day of Parliamentary proceedings in the old building. From tomorrow, proceedings will take place in the new Parliament building just beside the old one.
Venugopal told ANI “The old building is very beautiful, what is the problem in this one? Buildings are not important but the discussion inside them is very important. Parliament is for strengthening democracy and raising the concerns of the poor people of the country. When you talk about building, it will never give results but the discussion will.”
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on the last day of Parliament proceedings in old building remembered former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and others and said that he was tireless in listening to the voice of the Opposition and never mocked or deflected when answering questions.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said “It is really an emotional moment for all of us to move out from this (old) Parliament building today. We are all present here to bid adieu to our old building. Pandit Nehru had said that Parliamentary democracy demands many virtues, it demands ability, devotion to work, and self-discipline. Though he (Pandit Nehru) enjoyed a massive majority in the Parliament, he was tireless in listening to the voice of the Opposition and never mocked or deflected when answering questions. Even the Speaker's bell would ring for Jawaharlal Nehru when he exceeded his time limit while making speeches in the Parliament, this shows that no one is beyond Parliament, that was Nehru's contribution to the development of Parliamentary democracy in India"
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge today tore into the dictatorial ways of the functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party, showing it the constitutional and democratic mirror, listing the contribution of the Congress party and its leaders in laying the strong democratic and constitutional foundations and strengthening the democracy in the country.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the Special Session of the parliament today, Mr Kharge told the BJP that it was the magnanimity of the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who had appointed his political opponent Syama Prasad Mukherjee as the Union Industries and Supplies Minister. He said Pt Nehru believed in a strong opposition, while this regime targeted the strong opposition leaders.
In stark contrast, he pointed out, the BJP was now intimidating the opposition leaders by using agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax and the CBI. He also referred to the way the opposition voice was being muzzled inside the house by the ruling party members using their numbers.
He said the Constitution given by the founding fathers has kept the country united. “This very Constitution has built a strong structure for the country. Indian Constitution is our biggest guiding force”, he said, while referring to the universal adult franchise guaranteed by the Constitution to every Indian. He said, that whether one is poor or rich like Adani, he has the equal voting right of one vote.
Asserting that it was the Congress that protected, saved and strengthened democracy in the country, he said when India adopted democracy in 1950, many foreign experts thought that democracy would fail in India. “But Congress protected democracy and strengthened it. Still, we are asked what we have done in 70 years”, he remarked.
On the new Parliament building, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "There are many memories as an MP, minister, the ruling party and as the opposition but still all of us are friends. Today when the proceedings ended, the ruling party and the opposition were taking pictures together to gather the memories of the last day. This is the democracy of India. I have seen Atal Bihari Vajpayee here, Lal Krishna Advani, and Manmohan Singh here. We were active in exposing the 2G scam and other scams, coal scams."
"I had the fortune of working in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. There are a lot of memories. This is a temple. We will enter the new temple with new enthusiasm to take India to a new level in the 'Amrit Kaal'. The opposition has to ask questions and the government has to answer, this is democracy," he added. 
MoS for State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje said, "This is an emotional moment. We are taking great memories with us to the new Parliament. I feel very good. This Parliament (old building) is associated with the Independence struggle."
In Lok Sabha Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "Today is our last day in this Parliament, I hope we can raise the dignity of our Parliamentary discussions & put out a unified message today."
On the first day of the Special Session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday again referred to the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, which was passed by both the Houses and later struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015.
Dhankhar, during the discussion on 'Parliamentary journey of 75 years, starting from Samvidhan Sabha-Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings', said that the bill which was passed by the Lok Sabha unanimously and by the Rajya Sabha with only one abstention had the backing of 16 state assemblies.
The Rajya Sabha Chairman was speaking after Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek K Tankha mentioned in his speech that, in the 75 years of glorious history, the Supreme Court has upheld all the Constitutional amendments, except one- NJAC. "Which was struck down fully," Tankha said.
Interrupting the Congress MP, Dhankhar said, "Let me reveal my mind. You are a member of this House, everyone here, passed that bill only with one abstention. Lok Sabha passed it unanimously. What is happened to that. Did this august house, ever concerned itself with what they have done...It is prime obligation of everyone in this House that if this House has sanctified and by that majority...(with) 16 state assemblies endorsing it...I await what Kapil Sibal would say."
The demand for the Women's Reservation bill was also raised by several members.
On the Women's Reservation Bill, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said, "It would be decided by the parliamentary committee but a bill had come for 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayat. This parliament and this government have done a lot for women. A lot of women MPs have participated in debates. Women have been given powerful ministries. This government respects women."  
Former Bihar CM and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said, "Women are not behind men in any field. In fact, they are ahead of men in some fields. Women should be given reservations. If the reservation is given to both communities, one with 100 per cent literate women and one with a lower literacy rate in women, then the benefit of the reservation will be taken by communities that have 100 per cent literate women. Considering these complexities, women from communities with a lower literacy rate should be given reservations."
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in a special session of Parliament on Monday, extended his congratulations to all Indians for the successful hosting of the G20 Summit and said India has been the voice of the Global South under the leadership of PM Modi.
In the joint sitting of Parliament which is set to be held in the new Parliament building tomorrow, BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will speak for five minutes each, sources said on Monday.
Maneka Gandhi, a former union minister, has been parliamentarian for the longest period among the sitting Lok Sabha MPs. Among the sitting MPs in Rajya Sabha, Manmohan Singh has been a member for the longest time. Shibu Soren has served as MP for the longest period in both the Houses of Parliament.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will speak during the joint sitting of the two Houses, the sources said.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will hold their sittings in the new Parliament building on Tuesday. Both Houses were adjourned on Monday after a discussion on Parliamentary democracy in the last 75 years with the presiding officers stating that the proceedings will commence on Tuesday afternoon in the new Parliament building.
Lok Sabha Speaker said that the House has been adjourned and will meet at 1.15 pm in the new Parliament building.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House and said it will meet at 2:15 pm in the new Parliament building.
The two Houses discussed ‘Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings’ on the first day of the Special Session of Parliament with Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiating the debate in Lok Sabha.
The Special Session will continue till September 22.