NLC Bharat will allow lawmakers to discuss issues to strengthen democracy: Assembly speakers

The National Legislators Conference-Bharat in Mumbai next month will provide a platform to MLAs to deliberate issues to further strengthen the countrys democracy, assembly speakers of three states said on Thursday.NLC Bharat is a non-partisan platform, whose patrons and governing council member include former Lok Sabha speakers Sumitra Mahajan, Meira Kumar, Manohar Joshi and Shivraj Patil.

The National Legislators' Conference-Bharat in Mumbai next month will provide a platform to MLAs to deliberate issues to further strengthen the country's democracy, assembly speakers of three states said on Thursday.

NLC Bharat is a non-partisan platform, whose patrons and governing council member include former Lok Sabha speakers Sumitra Mahajan, Meira Kumar, Manohar Joshi and Shivraj Patil. Over 3,000 lawmakers from every state and union territory will gather for the first-ever National Legislators' Conference-Bharat (NLC Bharat) in Mumbai in June, Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said at a joint press conference here with his Himachal Pradesh and Punjab counterparts.

NLC Bharat, supported by various state legislatures, will be held from June 15-17. MIT School of Governance, Atulya Bharat Nirman Foundation and Bhartiya Chhatra Sansad are jointly organising the conference. ''For the first time, it will be that MLAs from across the country will come together on a single platform. The issues which will be deliberated in the event will help to further strengthen our democracy,'' Gupta said.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said organising such conferences is a good step, while his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Kuldeep Singh Pathania said such events will provide a good platform where MLAs can raise various issues.

Pathania said MLAs come from different parties and have different ideologies, but all are fellow countrymen. ''All want that country should progress.. from that point of view such conferences are important,'' he said. According to the convener of the conference, Rahul V Karad, NLC Bharat is an avenue for MLAs and MLCs from across the nation to gather for the ''first time at one place and exchange ideas''.

The conference will be conducted with the objectives of cross-learning and enhancement of legislative effectiveness at its core, he said.