Jul 07, 2006 02:45 AM
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(Updated Jul 07, 2006 09:38 PM)
Rajya Sabha as everyone knows is the upper house of the Parliament. It is also known as the house of intellectuals and house of elders. This is because eminent persons like professors, industrialists, artists, etc have been members of this house. It is also known as the house of representatives of states since the MLAs of various state assemblies elect the members of this house and send them to parliament.
According to me we do not require Rajya Sabha when we already have the Lok Sabha where the members are elected only when they win general elections where common man votes. Now let us see who the members of this house are:
Politicians who have never participated in any general elections
Politicians who have lost in elections
General Secretaries, Spokespersons and other Office Bearers of the Political Parties.
Friends, associates and relatives of the top politicians.
Chamchas and Loyalists of the high command of various political parties.
Sometimes a seat in Rajya Sabha is given to persons who provide funds for the party or who bring votes for the party for e.g. a top industrialist is given a seat because he will give funds to the party or an actor is given a seat because he has campaigned for the party in elections or a seat is given to a journalist for writing good about the party.
A seat in the Rajya Sabha is also used as a power-sharing tool by coalition governments for e.g. a seat is vacant for a particular state where two political parties are ruling so one party compromises and gives the seat to the other party.
Rajya Sabha is a complete waste of time where all the matters that are already discussed in the Lok Sabha are discussed again. There is no need for double discussion as most of the time these politicians are napping in the house or the parliament is stalled by the opposition.
The worst part about Rajya Sabha is that it is never dissolved i.e. it is a permanent house of the parliament. The tenure of each member is six years. Each year crores of rupees are spent on running the Rajya Sabha. Also the members are given all the facilities like free housing, telephone, electricity, travel, etc. After the expiry of the term of six years some of the members are re-elected many times so they enjoy these facilities for a lifetime. This is sheer waste of money in a country where people are dying of malnutrition and starvation. According to the 2001 Census one-third of the population is illiterate in India. These crores of rupees can be spent on educating these people.
Few years back the Representation of the People Act, 1951 was amended. Earlier to become a member of Rajya Sabha there was a rule that you have to belong to a particular state to represent it for e.g. you have to belong to Maharashtra to become a member from Maharashtra or you have to be a resident of Kerala to be elected from Kerala. This rule has been changed for the convenience of the politicians. Now, a person can be elected from a particular state even if he/she does not belong to that state.
It is very ironical that our Prime Minister and various other ministers belong to this house. This means that the people who are not elected by the common man are taking all the decisions in this country.
Let me give a list of ministers who are members of Rajya Sabha:
Dr. Manmohan Singh – PM
Arjun Singh – HRD Minister
Shivraj Patil – Home Minister
H. R. Bhardwaj – Law Minister
Dr. Anbumani Ramdoss – Health Minister
Murli Deora – Petroleum Minister
Ambika Soni – Tourism Minister
This list is not inclusive and there are many more ministers with important portfolios who are members of Rajya Sabha.
According to me this house should be dissolved completely and all the ministers including the PM should be from the Lok Sabha. This will bring greater accountability and good governance. It is correct that many eminent persons have been part of this house but they have not brought about any significant change in our political system. They are only interested in the free amenities provided to them and the tag of being an MP. They can even contest general elections and enter main stream politics if they really want to do something for the country.
