Team Herald
PANJIM: Shantaram Naik, whose term as Rajya Sabha member ends on Friday, urged that the powers of Parliament be restored and said not to permit the Judiciary or Election Commission to take them away.
Naik, in his farewell speech, said that the contention of judiciary is that it is because the Legislature and the executive fail in their duty to act, that the apex court has to intervene. Naik said that if the Prime Minister, who is the head of the executive, starts taking a stand that lakhs of cases are pending in the courts, and that, judiciary is unable to dispose of the same, he, as Prime Minister, who is the head of the executive, will now pass the judgements, but this Naik said, cannot happen as the PM cannot pass judgments just because legislature or executive is not acting, so also, judiciary cannot enact laws on grounds that legislature or executive is not acting.
Naik said he had the opportunity to demand that special provisions be made with respect to Goa under Article 371 of the Constitution, which was made in order to protect Goa’s land from Russians, Israelis and “our own people from other part of the country.”
Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari praised Naik for his role as Parliamentarian and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension.
Vinay Tendulkar, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha will take oath as MP on Monday.
