THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The legislative assembly should be a place to protect the interests of the people, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Thursday.
Speaking at the inaugural address at the orientation programme for the legislative assembly members, organized by Kerala legislative assembly media and parliamentary study centre, the chief minister said that there should be cooperation among the members and they should stand together for development and building a new Kerala.
He said that it should be the interest of the people that should be raised in the assembly and not vested interests.
He said that though the members are of different political outlook, the rules are applicable for everyone alike.
As the matters brought in the assembly are considered as authentic documents, the members have the responsibility to ensure the authenticity of the matters presented in the assembly, he said.
He added that the members should do proper homework before presenting matters in the assembly and not like making political speeches.
For this, the members should make full use of the assembly library.
While maintaining the timeframe in the assembly, the members should also be active while they are present in the assembly, he said.
Stating that the matters being raised should not be meant for the media attention, the chief minister said that the members should have active involvement in subject committees and the select committees.
He said that the members should be role models inside and outside the assembly.
Speaker M B Rajesh, who presided over the function, said that the assembly has a long history of people-centric law making.
He said that such training programmes will help improve law making.
The legislature secretariat is striving to ensure that the assembly becomes a completely paperless one by November this year.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the members should ensure that all those matters concerning the public but have not come to the notice are raised in the assembly.