Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 7: Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari has once again called for Members of Parliament to be allowed to vote based on their own judgment rather than under the binding instructions of political parties. He introduced a private member’s bill in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament seeking amendments to the anti-defection law.

Currently, MPs and MLAs are required to vote according to the party whip, failure of which may lead to disqualification. Tewari termed this as “whip-driven tyranny”, asserting that elected lawmakers should not be reduced to “lobotomised numbers” and “dogmatic ciphers”.

The bill proposes that whips should be applicable only in cases involving government stability, such as trust votes, adjournment motions, and money bills. The Congress MP from Chandigarh argued that legislators must have the freedom to vote with conscience and intelligence on regular bills to ensure true democratic lawmaking.

Tewari stressed that democracy must prioritize the elector in the queue, rather than political parties imposing control over representatives. “This bill seeks to return conscience, constituency and common sense to the echelons of the legislature,” he said.

He noted that many laws are rushed through Parliament without meaningful discussion, as MPs see little role for themselves when the outcome is already pre-decided through whips. “Some joint secretary drafts a law, the minister reads a pre-written note, and Parliament merely completes the formality of a vote,” he remarked.

This is the third time Tewari has introduced this legislation after unsuccessful attempts in 2010 and 2021. His independent stance comes at a time when the Congress is facing internal dissent and electoral setbacks.

Reflecting on the history of defections, Tewari referred to the notorious “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram” era in 1967 and the subsequent introduction of the 10th Schedule under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He said that despite its intentions, the anti-defection law has failed to stop political defections, which have now scaled up to a “mega mall activity”.

Private member’s bills rarely get passed in Parliament, but Tewari insists that this proposed reform is crucial for restoring the essence of parliamentary democracy in India.