NEW DELHI, May 12: Rediff.com`s Priyanka caught up with two of the oldest living parliamentarians in India, who reflected on the 60-year journey of the country`s supreme legislative body
When parliamentarians will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament on Sunday, Rishang Keishing and Resham Lal Jangade, the only living members of the first Lok Sabha session in 1952, will be among those who will address the special joint session.
Ninety three-year-old Rishang Keishing was a member of the Lok Sabha, from 1952-1957.
He entered Parliament on a Socialist Party ticket from outer Manipur constituency in 1952. However, when the Chinese invaded India in 1962 and a war broke between the two countries, Keishing says he just could not take it, sitting in the Opposition and not being able to do anything for the country.
As he recalls now, Keishing approached then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and confided in him.
“I told him (Pandit Nehru) that we need to work for our country in such times (of foreign invasion). And I said I did not want to sit in the opposition,” Keishing reminisces.
“And he (Pandit Nehru) welcomed me with open arms, and was immediately accepted to the Congress party as a member,” he says.
Keishing thus joined the Congress in 1964 and till date remains a staunch party supporter.
A two-time MP and a seven-time MLA, Kesihing says that he went back to work in his state Manipur after his second term in Lok Sabha. He later served as the chief minister of Manipur for four terms, but with `disruptions`, and spent a total of 10 years as the state`s chief minister. In 2002, he was, however, selected for the Rajya Sabha, and the distinguished leader is currently serving his second term at the Rajya Sabha.
As he recalls the earliest days of the Indian Parliament, Keishing says, “The Parliament was a temple and the Speaker was treated with respect and honour,” he narrates, somewhat angry with the present day happenings.
“People listened carefully to Parliament debates and speeches. There were no interruptions. Nobody shouted. There was no occasion when people would shout and rush to the well of the House.”
“We had towering leadership at that time. Nobody can match the stature of Pandit Nehru or Indira Gandhi,” Keishing observes.
Visibly upset at how the debates were held in Parliament, Keishing noted, “Nowadays leaders are wasting so much time and a big part of the national wealth.”
“Every minute of Parliament should be spent in the service of the people, and the country. That`s how we used to work.”