New Delhi: It’s time to listen to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar. He has raised a very good point at a vital juncture in our history.
If parties start letting people speak and vote on important issues without the fear of anti-defection law, at least on some issues, if not all, our Parliament would get, both, better and more productive. So will Indian politics, where the greatest shame now is the total absence of inner-party democracy.
Many modern parliamentary systems, including in the UK and the US, do not enforce such strict whips.
The contrast is stark. In the UK, for example, Labour MP Hilary Benn made a passionate speech in 2015, urging his fellow MPs to defy the party line and vote in favour of airstrikes against ISIS. Despite this defiance, no punishment followed, illustrating a more flexible approach to party discipline.
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In India, however, any similar act of rebellion would likely result in disqualification under the anti-defection law, which curtails autonomy of MPs.
This practice stifles debate and personal expression in India’s Parliament, making MPs mere extensions of party leadership.
Historical examples, such as Congress MPs voting according to their conscience during the 1969 presidential elections, show that open voting was once possible without adverse consequences. Now, MPs can only express themselves freely in select spaces, like parliamentary committees or the informal party circuits. Even then, dissent within committees is less frequent, particularly from ruling party MPs.
In contrast, in countries like the US, senators and congresspeople often vote according to their personal beliefs, without fear of party retribution. This encourages a more dynamic political discourse.
The suggestion to revise the anti-defection law and the whip system is therefore a call for reform, to restore autonomy and inner-party democracy. If Indian MPs could vote freely on key issues without fear of expulsion, it would enrich parliamentary debate and allow for more thoughtful, representative decision-making.
Ultimately, allowing MPs to vote with their conscience on select issues could significantly improve the quality of legislation and political discourse in India. As Dhankar rightly pointed out, this reform is crucial for strengthening democracy and revitalizing parliamentary institutions.
Watch Episode 1596 of #CutTheClutter, where Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta explains why the VP’s remarks against the parliamentary whip system must be heeded by the powers that be.
Also Read: Watch CutTheClutter: Archaeology, politics & Tamil pride—unpacking Stalin’s Iron Age claim
