Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Tuesday unveiled the centenary memorial pillar of the Bihar legislative assembly also known as Shatabdi Smriti Stambh. It was an occasion to mark the concluding day of the one-year centenary celebration of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha.
Bihar governor Phagu Chauhan, assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Singh, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also accompanied PM along with other dignitaries in the mega event organised at assembly premises. The PM unveiled the 40-feet-high pillar followed by naming the centenary memorial garden which has more than 100 medicinal plants.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for the assembly museum and a guest house. Soon after that he also planted a Kalpataru in the garden apart from releasing a book marking the details of the 100 years of the assembly. The book has all the information about the separation of Bihar and Odisha from Greater Bengal by King George V in 1911 at the Delhi Durbar.
While addressing the lawmakers, the PM emphasised that he was "lucky to be the first PM to visit Bihar assembly", adding that Shatabdi Smriti Stambh will speak about the glory of the state. “I am lucky to become the first PM of the country to visit this glorious Bihar assembly which has its own history. Bold decisions have been made and when Bihar will be empowered, the country will also be empowered,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also asked the lawmakers that it was important that their behavior should be good which will send a good message to the people. He also stressed that duties should not be separate from rights and the harder one works for duties, the stronger rights will get. Modi stressed that the way introducing new policies is important, it is equally important to change the old policies for smooth functioning.
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"We abolished more than 1500 old policies because we used to face trouble and we came out with solutions and the public trusted us. Even the state needs to look on this front. As members of parliament or members of assembly it is our duty to defeat the challenges which become obstacles for the strong democracy,” Modi said. The PM also praised chief minister Nitish Kumar and assembly speaker Vijay Sinha for taking the initiative to organise a large event to mark the centenary celebrations of Bihar assembly. He also talked about Nitish's decision of giving reservations to the women in Panchayati Raj.
Praising Bihar and the people of Bihar, the Prime Minister said: "It is the nature of Bihar that whoever loves Bihar, Bihar returns that love to him many times. I salute the people of Bihar from the bottom of my heart for this affection," PM Modi said. The building was constructed in the 1920 in which governor, Lord S P Sinha had addressed the then legislative council. The first joint session of the Bihar assembly and council was held on July 7, 1937.
Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader, who got the opportunity to speak on the dais urged the PM to open an institute under the name of the School of Democracy and Legislative Studies so that people can visit here for the purpose of research on democracy and other perspectives related to it. Tejashwi also demanded Bharat Ratna for great socialist leader late Karpoori Thakur, the EBC icon of Bihar and former CM of state. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the other hand thanked PM Narendra Modi for taking part in the centenary celebrations.
