Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Thursday underscored the urgent need to reconnect with India’s constitutional heritage and draw inspiration from the foresight of its early legislators.
He made this assertion in a symposium on the theme “Pre-Independence Parliamentary Systems (1911–1946) in India and the Role of Indian Members in our Freedom Movement,” hosted by Delhi Legislative Assembly. Citing the visionary leadership of Madan Mohan Malaviya and Vithalbhai Patel, Gupta reminded the audience that even a century ago, Indian representatives upheld the ideals of democracy, civil liberties, and parliamentary decorum.
The event convened eminent scholars, academicians, and public intellectuals to revisit the institutional and ideological foundations of India’s colonial-era legislatures and examine how nationalist leaders strategically engaged with these platforms to further the cause of independence.
Delivering a key note address at a symposium in the Delhi Assembly, the former chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) said the Indian legislators exhibited remarkable political maturity and ethical clarity, laying a robust foundation for the parliamentary traditions of independent India.
Sahasrabuddhe emphasised that India’s democratic ethos far predates colonial constructs, drawing instead from millennia old civilisational values rooted in dialogue, dissent and deliberation.
Reflecting on the contributions of stalwarts such as Vithalbhai Patel and Bhagat Singh, he called for renewed focus on institutional accountability and modernization while lauding the Delhi Assembly’s role in fostering civic awareness among youth. Ram Bahadur Rai, President of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, lauded the Assembly’s efforts to revive interest in the nation’s early parliamentary history.
