Bengaluru: President of India Ram Nath Kovind referred to Karnataka as an engine of India economy.

In his address to the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature to mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday, the President said that the state’s dreams are not for Karnataka alone. “They are dreams for all of India. Karnataka is an engine of the Indian economy. It is a mini-India that draws – without losing its cultural and linguistic distinctiveness – youth from all over the country. They come here for knowledge and for jobs, and they give their labour and intellect. Everybody gains.”

Pointing out that there was a time when Hampi in Karnataka was one of the richest and greatest cities in the world, the President said: “Today, as our country strives to regain its importance in the global economy and international system, once again we look to Karnataka to provide India with the enlightenment, the technology and unity of purpose to take us forward. And as representatives of the people of Karnataka, the members of the two Houses of the Legislature here have a special responsibility.”

Referring to Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Kovind said that this was a occasion of not just the 60th year of the building but also the diamond jubilee of the debates and discussions in the two Houses of legislations that have been passed and policies that have been shaped for the betterment of the lives of the people of Karnataka.

“We are aware of the three D’s of the legislature, that it is a place to debate, dissent and finally decide. And if we add the fourth D, decency, only then does the fifth D, namely democracy, become a reality. The legislature is an embodiment of the will, aspirations and hopes of the people of Karnataka, irrespective of political belief, caste and religion, gender or language. It needs the collective wisdom of both Houses of the Legislature to fulfil the dreams of our people,” he said.

“This spirit of debate and discussion, of inquiry and of service, is not limited to simply the Vidhana Soudha or to political life. It has existed in the soil of this great state. Karnataka has been known through history for spiritualism as much as science, for its farmers as much as its technologists. Its contribution to the intellectual and cultural – and ultimately democratic – heritage of our country has been enormous.”