‘Take along also those who didn’t vote for you’: Pranab Mukherjee

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 17, 2019: Former President Pranab Mukherjee at the 2nd Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Monday. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

The ruling party may be entitled to form the government with a majority of seats won, but it should also take into consideration all those who may not have voted for the party or the alliance that emerges victorious, former President Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday, Yahoo reported.

 

Mukherjee also suggested that the number of seats in Lok Sabha be increased to 1,000 from the present 545, and advocated a corresponding increase in the number of MPs in Rajya Sabha and the state legislatures.

He called for simultaneous Assembly and Parliamentary elections, and amendment of the model code of conduct to ensure no development work is stopped during the election process.

Delivering the second Atal Bihari Vajpayee memorial lecture organised by Delhi-based think tank India Foundation, Mukherjee said, “A numerical majority of elections gives you the right to make a stable government, but please carry along the others. Lack of popular majority forbids you from a majoritarian government — that is the message and essence of our Parliamentary democracy.”

Mukherjee’s remarks holds significance in the backdrop of passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, with opposition parties up in arms against the BJP-led government and accusing it of trying to push a majoritarian agenda of “Hindu rashtra”.

Mukherjee said, “India has given numerical majority to political parties or coalition blocks in terms of number of seats but they (the electorate) have never given a popular majority in terms of percentage of votes. Thereby (the electorate has been) enabling the elected majority to form a stable government, but at the same time forcing them to take along and include all minority opinions.”

Mukherjee was referring to the majority mark of 51 per cent of the popular votes, which no ruling party has got since the first General Election in 1952.

The former President said, “The Indian electorate has time and again conveyed to the ruling party that goes on to form the government, that yes, they may be entitled to form the government with a majority of the seats won, but they are also to take into consideration all those people who may not have voted for them. The mandate is to govern as a majority party with a stable government, but carry others with you.”

“It is also to be noted that every time a government has behaved to the contrary, the voter has punished the incumbent in the elections that follow. Unfortunately, this message of the Indian electorate has never been clearly understood by political players. That is why we think we can do anything when we have an overwhelming majority...”

On Mukherjee’s suggestion to raise the number of seats in both Houses of Parliament, it is relevant to note that the last time the number of seats were enhanced in Lok Sabha was in 1977 — on the basis of the 1971 census.

With an average of 16 lakh to 18 lakh people represented by each MP, how can we expect the representatives to be in touch with the electors, Mukherjee asked. He said that there is a strong case for removing the freeze on the number of seats in the delimitation exercise.