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On a day when Trinamool Congress and Telugu Desam Party members fought over a room in Parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday made an emotional appeal to members of Parliament to maintain its dignity, honour and prestige.
“Please, for God's sake, except you nobody can do it. It is our responsibility, we the elected members of both houses including nominated members, to uphold the prestige, dignity and honour of this great great institution,” he said after awarding the best parliamentarian awards.
He said the institution symbolises the freedom struggle and “it is the responsibility of every member to uphold its dignity and you have to do it”.
A row had erupted between TMC and TDP over space in Parliament House with each side staking claim to a particular room.
The bone of contention is Room no 5 on the first floor, which has been occupied by the Andhra Pradesh party for many years but was allotted to the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit this August 6.
Addressing the gathering, Mukherjee said he was touched by the gesture of the prime minister when he bowed his head at the stairs of Parliament after winning the Lok Sabha elections as this symbolises the dignity and sanctity of the temple of democracy.
He said he missed his days as a parliamentarian as he doesn’t get to speak much in his responsibility as President. Mukherjee also recounted the history how India received its parliamentary system and parliament and anecdotes about Arun Jaitley, Sharad Yadav and Karan Singh who received the awards on Tuesday.
Image: President Pranab Mukherjee addressing the gathering at the best parliamentarian awards.