Two days before demitting office, President Pratibha Patil has said the time has come for a serious look at reform in the ‘electoral process.’
In her farewell speech to parliamentarians, Ms. Patil was emphatic that in her view, reform in the electoral process was necessary. However, she did not elaborate on the subject. Her reference to such reform was in the context of institutions gearing to meet growing demands and responsibilities.
“Therefore, deep thought should be given by honourable members to how our institutions, our administrative practices, legislatures and legal processes, can fulfil these growing demands and responsibilities effectively,” she said.
Another theme of her brief speech was the need to ensure that dissensions should not be at the expense of serious debate and legislative process.
“Naturally there will be arguments in the process for the search for answers but it should never happen that in the din we lose our way forward. At the end of the day, the worth, value and respect of a legislature is judged by its output in terms of serious debate and legislation,” she said.
On the occasion, she was presented with a memento and a scroll of the farewell address by MPs, which was read out by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
