Most MPs only study the bills they speak on; the rest vote as per what their party whips demand. This is nothing but a travesty of the parliamentary process.
Criticism of the executive, the judiciary, the bureaucracy or the Armed Forces cannot be termed sedition, said the Supreme Court judge at a recent event.
South Africa’s apartheid regime was brutal on liberation movement. But while the British in India used force, they also had to give Congress a role in government.
SEBI probe concluded that purported loans and fund transfers were paid back in full and did not amount to deceptive market practices or unreported related party transactions.
While Pakistani authorities have not clarified what intended target was, the incident adds to a troubling pattern of PAF strikes killing civilians, including women and children.
Many really smart people now share the position that playing cricket with Pakistan is politically, strategically and morally wrong. It is just a poor appreciation of competitive sport.
All of us Middle class people were happy when Rajiv Gandhi brought in the Anti-defection Law in 1985.We were all weary of Unprincipled Defections by Elected Representatives for clearly visible personal ambition of becoming powerful(Chaudhary Charan Singh in 1979) and wealthy(all other Aayaa Rams and Gayaa Rams) in a poor country. We the Middle Class were so delighted at this bold attempt to eliminate immorality that we did not read the fine print which said ‘any violation of party whip in the house would mean loss of Membership of the MP/MLA concerned – and the Constitution and Law did not impose any restriction on the Issues on which a Party whip could be issued. Shashi Tharoor mentions this but stops short of suggesting that we need a Constitution Amendment to specify that Whip can not be issued to restrict a Member’s freedom to vote unless the Motion on vote is a No-Confidence Motion or a Confidence Motion where stability of Govt.is threatened by a Party MPs free exercise of choice to vote for or against the motion.
Tharoor is right… But the sad reality is, he feels like writing this now, when he is in the opposition.
Another point which he should address is “blind criticism” without proof. The fear of the opposition, that they should not allow the govt to score brownie points, as that would be detrimental to their own interests.
Tharoor definitely has a valid point. But an MP in Indian parliament is a different animal. Most of them won not because of their honest commitment to any high moral values or understanding of what their constituents need. They have won by shear use of money and and patronage of party bosses. Many of them can switch sides when it suits their personal interest in making money. The anti defection bill assumes that that category of MPs are limited and that if they congregate as a group, it is assumed they have a common point to make. Any Individual MP who feels very sensitive on any valid point is always free to resign and contest election and get back to parliament. The flip side is what Tharoor points out. But in Indian context, it is not possible to get rid of the anti defection law.
Shashi is the right man in the wrong party. It hurts average Indians when Shashi, a man of stature and exceptional ability in speaking and writing, has to bow down to the wishes of Sonia who has never earned any decent educational qualifications.
So he should join the BJP and bow down to the wishes of ‘high intellects’ like Modi and Shah?
The gravest error that the BJP can make is to agree to any resolution passed by the Congress MPs in parliament. Unless the Congress MPs pass a resolution saying 1. they love Mother India and stand firmly against corruption, 2. They fully support Narendra Modi as prime minister.
Shashi Tharoor would do well to start first asking the Congress to change. The change will be visible when the Congress for two sessions at least, stands firmly in support of all resolutions that the Modi government brings. By all means express your views but, say clearly, loudly and unambiguously, that you stand with the government, support it.
Do not forget that everyone still remembers well the constant statement by Congress leadership when they referred to Modi: ‘your prime minister’
In case Tharoor or other Congress MPs indeed want to be heeded in parliament, they would do well to switch sides, ditch the Congress and join the BJP.
That would be the best service to the nation.
Principally, Shashi could be right up to a point. But Anti- defection law (incidentally passed by Rajeev Gandhi government!) is required not just for debating and voting in Parliament in line with the Party dictate but also for many other occasions. Besides, one can’t say dismiss what is approved by the ruling party and the Cabinet as approved by some cabal. The party represents the will of the people based on its manifesto so its legislative actions can be debated of course but not dismissed as such. If a member feels so strongly about his views or dictatorial nature of party system, he can always resign and get elected as an independent candidate. The government needs to act on many issues with definitive time frame and mechanism of joint parliamentary committee to scrutinize each and every bill need not be resorted to. Besides, voters are watching the government and the opposition and if government is doing something wrong, popular opinion will make it change its stance or it will be punished next time around. The problem is that opposition has no agenda other than demonizing Modi and has nothing constructive to offer. If Shashi indeed has some worthwhile suggestions to make on any bill, he can even do it outside the Parliament as well and convert TV studios in a off line house and put indirect pressure on the government by building up public opinion on the issue. But this is not his intention. His intention is to act ‘holier than thou’ and then be free for procrastinating and filibustering! Shashi, of course, talks impressively (a delight to watch when he argues in Oxford or Cambridge debates) and writes well (his book on Hinduism is a good read) but his flippancy on this issue can be seen through easily. Of course, we need a debonair guy like him to be in Parliament.
I missed one more contribution of Rajiv Gandhi to lack of quality in parliamentary debate. His Anti-defection law, inserted as 10th Schedule in the Constitution put an end to divergent views being discussed in the Parliament, for the fear of being labelled as a defector. The practice of voting and talking along party line came into vogue thanks to Rajiv Gandhi’s shortsighted anti-defection law.
How should the parliament work? None of the congress governments followed the model of Edmund Burke. Nehru had huge majority. He did not even let largest opposition group be recognised as opposition party? This went on for seventeen years. For seven years between 1971 and 1977 Indira Gandhi had two thirds majority. She gave us the infamous emergency. Rajive Gandhi had record majority in Loksabha. He told opposition “I don’t care for barking dogs”. Worse, he also said “Teri naani kaa yaad dilaoonga!”. The tradition set by congress has been faithfully followed by successive governments as it suts the party in power. It takes time for old habits to die, especially the convenient bad habits..
All of us Middle class people were happy when Rajiv Gandhi brought in the Anti-defection Law in 1985.We were all weary of Unprincipled Defections by Elected Representatives for clearly visible personal ambition of becoming powerful(Chaudhary Charan Singh in 1979) and wealthy(all other Aayaa Rams and Gayaa Rams) in a poor country. We the Middle Class were so delighted at this bold attempt to eliminate immorality that we did not read the fine print which said ‘any violation of party whip in the house would mean loss of Membership of the MP/MLA concerned – and the Constitution and Law did not impose any restriction on the Issues on which a Party whip could be issued. Shashi Tharoor mentions this but stops short of suggesting that we need a Constitution Amendment to specify that Whip can not be issued to restrict a Member’s freedom to vote unless the Motion on vote is a No-Confidence Motion or a Confidence Motion where stability of Govt.is threatened by a Party MPs free exercise of choice to vote for or against the motion.
Tharoor is right… But the sad reality is, he feels like writing this now, when he is in the opposition.
Another point which he should address is “blind criticism” without proof. The fear of the opposition, that they should not allow the govt to score brownie points, as that would be detrimental to their own interests.
Tharoor definitely has a valid point. But an MP in Indian parliament is a different animal. Most of them won not because of their honest commitment to any high moral values or understanding of what their constituents need. They have won by shear use of money and and patronage of party bosses. Many of them can switch sides when it suits their personal interest in making money. The anti defection bill assumes that that category of MPs are limited and that if they congregate as a group, it is assumed they have a common point to make. Any Individual MP who feels very sensitive on any valid point is always free to resign and contest election and get back to parliament. The flip side is what Tharoor points out. But in Indian context, it is not possible to get rid of the anti defection law.
Shashi is the right man in the wrong party. It hurts average Indians when Shashi, a man of stature and exceptional ability in speaking and writing, has to bow down to the wishes of Sonia who has never earned any decent educational qualifications.
So he should join the BJP and bow down to the wishes of ‘high intellects’ like Modi and Shah?
The gravest error that the BJP can make is to agree to any resolution passed by the Congress MPs in parliament. Unless the Congress MPs pass a resolution saying 1. they love Mother India and stand firmly against corruption, 2. They fully support Narendra Modi as prime minister.
Shashi Tharoor would do well to start first asking the Congress to change. The change will be visible when the Congress for two sessions at least, stands firmly in support of all resolutions that the Modi government brings. By all means express your views but, say clearly, loudly and unambiguously, that you stand with the government, support it.
Do not forget that everyone still remembers well the constant statement by Congress leadership when they referred to Modi: ‘your prime minister’
In case Tharoor or other Congress MPs indeed want to be heeded in parliament, they would do well to switch sides, ditch the Congress and join the BJP.
That would be the best service to the nation.
Principally, Shashi could be right up to a point. But Anti- defection law (incidentally passed by Rajeev Gandhi government!) is required not just for debating and voting in Parliament in line with the Party dictate but also for many other occasions. Besides, one can’t say dismiss what is approved by the ruling party and the Cabinet as approved by some cabal. The party represents the will of the people based on its manifesto so its legislative actions can be debated of course but not dismissed as such. If a member feels so strongly about his views or dictatorial nature of party system, he can always resign and get elected as an independent candidate. The government needs to act on many issues with definitive time frame and mechanism of joint parliamentary committee to scrutinize each and every bill need not be resorted to. Besides, voters are watching the government and the opposition and if government is doing something wrong, popular opinion will make it change its stance or it will be punished next time around. The problem is that opposition has no agenda other than demonizing Modi and has nothing constructive to offer. If Shashi indeed has some worthwhile suggestions to make on any bill, he can even do it outside the Parliament as well and convert TV studios in a off line house and put indirect pressure on the government by building up public opinion on the issue. But this is not his intention. His intention is to act ‘holier than thou’ and then be free for procrastinating and filibustering! Shashi, of course, talks impressively (a delight to watch when he argues in Oxford or Cambridge debates) and writes well (his book on Hinduism is a good read) but his flippancy on this issue can be seen through easily. Of course, we need a debonair guy like him to be in Parliament.
I missed one more contribution of Rajiv Gandhi to lack of quality in parliamentary debate. His Anti-defection law, inserted as 10th Schedule in the Constitution put an end to divergent views being discussed in the Parliament, for the fear of being labelled as a defector. The practice of voting and talking along party line came into vogue thanks to Rajiv Gandhi’s shortsighted anti-defection law.
How should the parliament work? None of the congress governments followed the model of Edmund Burke. Nehru had huge majority. He did not even let largest opposition group be recognised as opposition party? This went on for seventeen years. For seven years between 1971 and 1977 Indira Gandhi had two thirds majority. She gave us the infamous emergency. Rajive Gandhi had record majority in Loksabha. He told opposition “I don’t care for barking dogs”. Worse, he also said “Teri naani kaa yaad dilaoonga!”. The tradition set by congress has been faithfully followed by successive governments as it suts the party in power. It takes time for old habits to die, especially the convenient bad habits..