Chatwal appeals to political parties to field honest candidates

Kurukshetra, Sep 24 (UNI) Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker C S Chatwal today advised political parties to field candidates who were honest, gentle, intelligent and dedicated to the cause of nation.

He was talking to media persons here during the one-day visit of Presiding Officers and Secretaries of the Legislative Bodies to this holy city after the conclusion of the 79th Conference of the Presiding Officers and Secretaries of the Legislative Bodies in India at Chandigarh yesterday.

However, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee could not reach here along with the delegation.

Mr Chatwal made a passionate appeal to electorate to elect only those who were dedicated to ameliorate the people's lot. Only then, the legislative bodies in India could be free from the shackles of those who enter these august bodies by dint of muscle power, money power and even with the support of criminalisation process, he said.

Mr Chatwal said political parties should come forward and field only such candidates in the Parliamentary and Assembly polls who had no background of dishonesty, criminalisation and unscrupulousness. They must be people with integrity and honesty and have zeal to work for the upliftment of society and country.

Secondly, he said the electorate must use their discriminatory sense to elect only those who could do good to the masses.

Speaking on the issue of terrorism as a world phenomenon, the Deputy Speaker said India needed ''stringent'' law and enforcement agencies to curb the menace of terrorism.

Dr Raghubir Kadian, Speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, who led the 400 member delegation for sightseeing and pilgrimage to this holy city, said the conference had ''eventful'' discussions on very crucial issues of great democratic values and systems working in India.

The delegates visited the Brahamsarovar and the 40 feet high bronze statue of Lord Krishna sermonising Arjuna amid the Sarovar.

Most of the delegates had ''Panch-shnaana'' (washing of five organs of body) and many of them did ''Achamana'' (drinking of handful water) of the Sarovar water. They paid obeisance at Bhadrakali temple, one of the 7 Shaktipeetha in the country.

The delegates visited the mythological Jyotisar where Lord Krishna gave His celestial sermon to the world through his disciple Arjuna.

They also visited the Kalpana Chawla Planetarium, Shri Krishna Museum, Panorama Museum and Science Centre depicting the epic war scenario of Mahabharta in a dome.

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