States » NorthPosted at: Jan 21 2026 6:40PM

People supreme in a democracy, legislature must remain accountable, says HP Speaker Pathania

Shimla/Lucknow, Jan 21 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday asserted that in a democracy, people are supreme and all governing powers emanate from them. Addressing the valedictory session of the 86th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference in Lucknow, he said the accountability of the legislature to the public is the very soul of democratic governance.
Speaking on the theme “Accountability of the Legislature to the People,” Pathania underlined that while the legislature, executive and judiciary are all answerable to citizens, the legislature holds a unique position as it directly represents the people. Law-making, policy formulation and oversight of the government, he said, place a special responsibility on legislatures to remain sensitive to public aspirations. Failure to do so would reduce democracy to a mere formality, he cautioned.
Referring to India’s parliamentary traditions, Pathania highlighted the rich legacy of legislative institutions. He recalled that the country’s first elected presiding officer, Vithalbhai Patel, was chosen in 1925, while the first conference of presiding officers was held in Shimla in 1921. He noted that the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has maintained high standards of productivity, citing extended sittings in 1962 and 100 per cent productivity during the previous calendar year with 35 sittings.

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Tags: #People supreme in a democracy # legislature must remain accountable # says HP Speaker Pathania

FIR registered in Lucknow over objectionable social media post targeting Mayawati

11 Feb 2026 | 12:19 PM

Lucknow, Feb 11(UNI) An FIR has been registered at Krishna Nagar police station after an alleged objectionable post targeting Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati surfaced on social media. The complaint was filed by a party worker against a Facebook account named “Shreya Yadav.”
According to police officials, the case was registered following a written complaint submitted by Cantt Assembly President Gangaram Verma.

People supreme in a democracy, legislature must remain accountable, says HP Speaker Pathania

Bomb threat email triggers alert in local courts of Hamirpur

FIR registered in Lucknow over objectionable social media post targeting Mayawati

Samajwadi Party MLAs protest in UP Assembly ahead of Budget presentation

FLASH: UP govt tables Rs 9 12 lakh cr budget for 2026-27, marking about a 12 85 pc rise over the 2025-26 budget

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tables the state budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 9U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tables the state budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 8U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tables the state budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 7U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna before the presentation of the state Budget 2026–27 during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 6U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna before the presentation of the state Budget 2026–27 during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 5U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna before the presentation of the state Budget 2026–27 during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 4U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna offers prayers at his residence before table the budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 3U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna offers prayers at his residence before table the budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 2U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP MLAs stage a protest during the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 29U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP MLAs stage a protest during the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 21U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma speaks during the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 20U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna offers prayers at his residence before table the budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 1U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma speaks during the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 19U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma speaks during the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 18U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP stages a walkout during the question hour of the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 17U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP stages a walkout during the question hour of the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 16U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP stages a walkout during the question hour of the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 15U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP stages a walkout during the question hour of the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 14U

JAMMU, FEB 11 (UNI): BJP stages a walkout during the question hour of the Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Jammu on Wednesday. UNI Photo 13U

LUCKNOW, FEB 11 (UNI): Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tables the state budget during the Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, in Lucknow on Wednesday. UNI Photo 12U