Narwekar to head committee to look into 10th Schedule of Constitution
The committee will look into the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and recommend changes. The anti-defection law contains provisions to disqualify MPs or MLAs if they switch their political allegiances, unless the defection involves at least two-thirds of the elected members of a party
Mumbai: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday announced a committee to look into constitutional provisions that underpin the anti-defection law for elected representatives, appointing Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar as its head.
The committee will look into the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and recommend changes. The anti-defection law contains provisions to disqualify MPs or MLAs if they switch their political allegiances, unless the defection involves at least two-thirds of the elected members of a party.
“The conference discussed various issues related to the working of Parliament and Legislatures. The 10th Schedule was one such issue. There was a committee under CP Joshi which gave its report on the issue. There was a detailed discussion on the 10th Schedule in the Uttarakhand matter and to take the debate forward now we have decided to form a committee under Rahul Narwekar, speaker of Maharashtra assembly,” said Birla at a press conference after the two-day meeting of the 84th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) concluded in Mumbai.
The committee has not yet been formally announced. The details of its members and timelines was therefore not available.
The choice of Narwekar, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, is significant since he recently ruled on the fate of the breakaway faction in Shiv Sena, which split in June 2022 when Eknath Shinde broke ranks with then CM and party chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde, claiming support of over two-thirds of Sena MLAs, were ruled by Narwekar on January 10 to be the real Shiv Sena, which is now in the ruling alliance with the BJP and a breakaway faction from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar.
Narwekar is also examining similar petitions filed by Sharad Pawar-founded NCP against the outfit led by Ajit Pawar, who has staked claim to the NCP name and the party symbol claiming support of more than two-thirds of the MLAs.
The All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) adopted five resolutions at the end of its two-day deliberations, which included urging Parliament and state/UT legislatures to review and align Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, taking into account current realities, to enable effective functioning of the legislative bodies in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
The second resolution pertained to encouraging Parliament/state/UT legislatures to take effective steps at capacity-building of grassroots Panchayati Raj institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
The AIPOC also suggested that legislative bodies adopt and promote emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), for improving efficiency, transparency, productivity and engagement with citizens.
In the fourth resolution, the AIPOC resolved to explore ways and means to improve effectiveness in enforcing accountability of the executive, and fifth, the organisation resolved to take pro-active measures to implement “One Nation, One Legislative Platform” for resource and experience sharing between legislatures and closer engagement with citizens
Speaking earlier while addressing the conference, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed worry about the erosion of public faith in people’s representatives and legislatures due to disruptions and indiscipline in houses. “Erosion of public faith in the legislature is a matter of worry. Agitations on the streets are an indication of lack of faith in the legislature. Presiding officers should use their constitutional rights to ensure discipline and decorum in house,” said Dhankhar.
Dhankhar appealed all presiding officers to keep a copy of the Constitution with amendments. “Rise of India is unstoppable now. India will be a developed nation and ‘Global Leader’ by 2047,” said Dhankhar.
Birla also said the conference arrived at a consensus on the need to reserve a day of legislative sessions in Parliament and state legislatures discuss positive work done by members in their constituencies.
Birla also appealed to all political parties to not disrupt the speech of President before the Parliament and the speech of Governors in state legislatures as it affects constitutional values.
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