Strengthen rich political tradition of UP, says Prez

President Ram Nath Kovind, on Monday, addressed a joint sitting of the Uttar Pradesh legislature, saying that the UP legislature has a glorious history of amicable relations between the ruling party and the opposition.
“There can be differences of ideology but there should not be animosity between the two sides. Sometimes, there have been undignified incidents which are contrary to this rich tradition. You have to make an effort to forget them by considering those as exceptions. You all have to further strengthen the rich political tradition of UP. In a democracy, there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the opposition but there should not be any animosity (vaimanasya) between both the sides,” Kovind said.
The special sitting of the UP Legislature was part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence. Governor Anandiben Patel, Legislative Council Chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh, Legislative Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, leader of opposition in assembly Akhilesh Yadav, and members of both Houses were present on this occasion.
President Kovind said that the legislature was a temple of democracy and the lawmakers were the ‘bhaagyavidhata’ or those who decide the destiny. He said that the people of the state had expectations from the representatives who should fulfil them.
“The ambit of your public service must contain all the citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person,” he said. The president also exuded confidence that UP will soon become “Uttam Pradesh”.
“With your efforts, Uttar Pradesh will soon become Uttam Pradesh. When the largest state of the country achieves all the parameters of development, then the country’s development will automatically get a backing,” he said.
Lauding the efforts of the state, President Kovind said, “Uttar Pradesh has done commendable work in the direction of women empowerment and gender equality. Women and men have the least wage gap according to the NITI Aayog’s Index Report 2020-2021, which is an achievement in itself,” the president said.
Stating that the state of Uttar Pradesh ranked first in India in the production of food grains, President Kovind said, “In the recent years, there has been significant progress in the construction of roads, while the state has made remarkable improvements in rail and air connectivity.”
He said UP was setting the paradigm of economic progress for other states of the country and abroad. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had instilled confidence that in the near future, Uttar Pradesh would set new records of economic progress.