Simultaneous polls better than frequent elections: Venkaiah Naidu

Calling frequent elections in the country a matter of concern, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday pitched for "simultaneous and broad" elections in the country.

He was speaking at the 'Punyabhushan' award ceremony.

He presented the prestigious award to noted archaeologist G B Deglurkar.

"Since elections are around the corner and model code of conduct is being enforced and some of the friends (MP and ministers) could not come to the function...the frequent elections in the country is a matter of concern," Naidu said.

Because of elections, there will be a code of conduct for almost one and a half months and everyone has to follow a three-line formula - election, selection, and correction, he said.

"That is why it is in the interest of the country (that) there should be a broad and simultaneous election across the country within 15 days' period so that there is no deviation, dilution, and diversion of the public work," he said.

Lauding Deglurkar, Naidu said archaeological sites are the bridges that connect the present with our past.

"Archaeology is a fascinating subject that enhances our understanding of history through hard evidence. Because of this characteristic, it can be more credible than any other human science," he said.

Naidu said archaeology plays a significant role in revealing different facets of the past. It is the primary source of information for prehistory and very useful in revealing different facets of the past to mankind, he added.

"I believe that it has a tremendous potential to reconstruct and re-correct history," he said.

"Archaeology helps in bringing to light the diversity in varied cultures and civilisations. It helps in discovering not only the other civilisations but also in rediscovering our own selves," he said.

Stating that Deglurkar belongs to an "exclusive" club of archaeologists, Naidu said, "When he excavated identical ivory dolls from Bhokardan in Jalna district of Maharashtra and Pompeii in Italy, he conclusively established the presence of Roman tradesmen in this region during Satvahana rule."

Public sector companies, private sector firms and individuals must be encouraged to adopt sites and take part in the preservation of our heritage, Naidu said.

He called for bringing together various academic disciplines such as history, archaeology, anthropology, iconography, epigraphy, and sociology.

"I am sure that this kind of multi-disciplinary approach will enable us to establish a strong correlation of the literature, history and archaeological data. I am sure this approach will help us make a fundamental contribution to the textual and archaeological study of the epics of India," Naidu said.