Prez address in House matter of pride for UP: Guv

Lucknow: Governor Anandiben Patel welcomed President Ram Nath Kovind to the Vidhan Mandal on Monday by saying that it was a moment of great pride for the members of the House.
The governor said that Kovind’s presence in the House, to address it during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, was “inspiring”.
She said: “As the country celebrates the 75th year of India’s independence, the President will be sharing his rich parliamentary experience as well as broader and inclusive vision with the members of this House. Good parliamentary conduct and seriousness are a must for a thriving democracy. We are proud of our democratic traditions.”
She said that the occasion was an opportunity to look back at and appreciate the role played by our freedom fighters, martyrs and leaders to get India independence. “It is also an occasion to renew our pledge to make India self-reliant. The country is fast emerging from the darkness of poverty. Uttar Pradesh has given nine Prime Ministers to the country while UP’s legislature can boast of having several luminaries as its members, including Govind Ballabh Pant, Sir Syed Ahmed, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Purushottam Das and Acharya Narendra Dev,” she said.
Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana called the President’s speech a historic occasion for Vidhan Mandal, saying that his presence and the occasion were a matter of pride for all members.
“The President hails from Kanpur, which is a matter of great honour for the state; for me personally, it is more significant as I too belong to Kanpur,” Mahana said.
Praising the President for always having maintained constitutional values, he said that Kovind had not only given a new dimension to India’s image abroad but had also fostered new international relations.
Speaking about UP Vidhan Mandal, Mahana said that this was the largest in the country and after years, the budget session had seen a fruitful debate with no disturbances.
“This session was concluded without any hindrance. All questions were taken up and more than 250 members put forth their points on the governor’s speech. Our aim is to now open up Vidhan Sabha for the common people and make this place an inspiration for the rest of the country,” he said.