Our representative institutions are temples of democracy: Om Birla in Meghalaya

Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], February 25 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said that our representative institutions are temples of democracy, where public representatives give voice to the hopes and aspirations of the people.
Addressing members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Birla said that democracy has deep roots in our country and a rich legacy of democratic participation has flourished in our villages for thousands of years.
"India has set the earlier examples of democracy for the entire world. That is why this glorious tradition became the foundation of Modern India after independence. Today we can say with pride that the democratic norms gaining ground all over the world, have Indian democracy as an exemplary model" he said.
"Friends, our representative institutions such as the Parliament, Legislative Assemblies and the Local Bodies are the temples of democracy, where public representatives give voice to the hopes and aspirations of the people," the Lok Sabha Speaker added.
"Hence, it is important for all the democratic institutions - the Parliament, Legislative Assemblies and Local Bodies, be it in the form of Autonomous District Councils or Panchayats, to work in coordination and harmony so that our collective responsibility towards the people is fulfilled," Birla said.
He further said, "whatever work we undertake should be carried out in this spirit and with utmost dedication towards the people. The concept of democracy can be fructified only when the person at the last rung in the society is benefited".
"We will have to encourage discussion, dialogue and meaningful debate in representative institutions in order to achieve this objective," he said adding, "there can be dissent during discussions but we should not reach an impasse. Our discussions should lead to the welfare of the people of the country."