Kolkata: Newly elected MLAs must remember that they have been entrusted with a great responsibility, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Bengal governor RN Ravi said in the assembly on the second day of the orientation session on Saturday, urging the legislators to take the state forward through their actions and dedication.“I have been serving as Speaker of Lok Sabha for seven years, and after a long time, this assembly hosted this training. It offered guidance on how we can contribute to the development of both the state and the nation,” Birla said.The LS speaker exhorted MLAs to remember how people have elected them with faith and trust. “That faith must be preserved. We must fulfill their expectations, justify their trust and write a new chapter in the development of this state,” he said.“Raising slogans, disrupting proceedings and creating deadlock can never make anyone a true leader. Accountability to the people and reforms is vital. I urge you to learn even from a voter or a fellow MLA and bring that idea into the assembly with seriousness,” Birla said.Laws are made for the people, he said, adding that “whenever a law is framed, the only real purpose of both the assembly and the govt should be to make people’s lives easier and to remove their daily obstacles”.Ravi said there had been a much-desired change in the state after a long period, urging the MLAs to translate the dreams of the people into reality. He also felt the need for constitutional awareness and asked the MLAs to use the assembly library.The assembly is the place to strengthen moral values of the people of the state, the Bengal governor added, asking the MLAs to act with dignity. He said for parliamentary democracy to flourish, there is need for equality, and amid diversity of opinion there should be consensus.The other speakers were Haryana governor Asim Kumar Ghosh, Bengal assembly speaker Rathindra Bose and state industries minister Tapas Roy.
