New Delhi: Senior MPs in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday urged the Union Government to make election manifestos legally binding. During Zero Hour, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said that the importance of election manifestos is diminishing as political parties are releasing them just days ahead of elections. He said that wider consultation is required to make election manifestos legally binding.
"If I recollect the election manifestos of 1952, 1957 and 1962, all political parties, including the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the Socialist Party and the Congress Party used to enlist doable things in their election documents and a serious discussion used to be held in the central leadership before releasing it to the public," Jha said. "Now, in the election manifesto, the hatred, grudge and divisive thoughts and disrespectful comments are taking a centre stage in these declarations," he added.
Jha said that in 2013, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sathasivam Bench had observed that if the dignity and the respect of the Indian democracy has to be kept intact, then these declarations have to be given a legal shape and the political parties should be made accountable. "We need to have wider consultations on developing a policy so that the ground realities and issues related to the core issues of the public take centre stage in the political discussion," added Jha.
Several other MPs including Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi associated with the issue. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that political parties should meet to discuss the issue seriously and decide their future course of action in the larger interests of the country. He also said parties that are in Opposition say that the concept of making election manifestos legally binding is enforceable adding that when they are in position their stand is different.
"Political parties should meet to think about this issue seriously. And then move forward in the larger interest of the country. It is a real issue. What has been raised is a very important issue. And when we are in Opposition, we say it should be enforceable. When we are in positions, our position is different. All parties should apply their mind and then come to some conclusion. That's my appeal," said Naidu.
(With agency inputs)
