M. Venkaiah Naidu expressed concern over the “all-round degeneration of values” in public life and called upon political parties to evolve a code of conduct for elected representatives to improve the quality of public discourse and parliamentary functioning.
He was speaking at the launch of the book Chandra Shekhar – The Last Icon of Ideological Politics, authored by Harivansh and Ravi Dutt Bajpai, at the Parliament Library Building in New Delhi.
During his address, the Vice President said the decline in political decorum, discipline and ideology-based politics was a matter of serious concern. He stressed that leaders should be elected on the basis of “Character, Capacity, Caliber and Conduct” rather than “Caste, Community, Cash and Criminality.”
M. Venkaiah Naidu highlighted the relevance of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in contemporary politics, describing him as a principled leader who upheld dignity, civility and ideological commitment throughout his public life.
The Vice President said the book traces Chandra Shekhar’s political journey, including his role as a socialist leader, his association with the Congress party, his stint in the Janata Party and his tenure as Prime Minister.
He also recalled Chandra Shekhar’s nationwide padyatra from Kanyakumari to Rajghat, during which he travelled nearly 4,000 kilometres to understand the problems faced by ordinary citizens.
M. Venkaiah Naidu appreciated the authors for documenting the late leader’s life and said the book would serve as a valuable reference for parliamentarians, researchers and students of Indian politics.
Earlier, Narendra Modi released the book and presented the first copy to the Vice President.
The event was attended by several senior leaders including Om Birla, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Ministers and Members of Parliament.
