The Lok Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Manish Tewari has on multiple occasions demanded more freedom in voting by lawmakers based on their conscience and not necessarily on party directives. On the current winter session of Parliament that ends on December 19, Tewari had moved a member of parliament bill to change the anti-defection law to release the MPs and MLAs of the responsibility of voting as per the party whip on most legislative issues.
With the existing system, elected members are legally obliged to obey the whip that is given by their party and through which they are required to vote on bills and motions. According to Tewari, this system inhibits proper debate and does not allow a legislator to analyze legislation on their own. His suggestion will decrease the range of the whip and enable independent judgment with exception of the critical cases such as trust votes, money bills, adjournment motions, and other issues that may affect the stability of a government.
Raising the slogan of whip-driven tyranny, the Chandigarh MP claimed that his bill is an initiative to bring dignity, autonomy, and accountability in the legislative process. He pointed an incisive question which was: what is democracy, the voter who stands in the sun and operates hours is it or the political party machinery that requires blind devotion.
Tewari, the introducer of similar bills in 2010 and 2021, has acknowledged that a bill introduced by private members does not become law very often. Nonetheless, the step is quite important considering the status of the Congress party which is facing recent problems such as defeats in elections as well as internal party conflicts. Tewari has over the years frequently made stands that are opposed to those of his party, and has joined other senior Congress party figures in advocating a more independent mindset within the party.
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