Anna Hazare's 'Right to Recall' demand opposed

Mumbai: Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athavale on Monday vehemently opposed Anna Hazare’s demand for bringing in “Right to Recall” law to facilitate removal of an “ineffective” Member of Parliament (MP) by people mid-way through the term.

Talking to media persons along with senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi at Nagpur, Athvale strongly disapproved anti-corruption crusader’s move to launch another agitation to force the UPA government and Election Commission to accept his demand. The demand would involve effecting necessary amendments in India’s Constitution and election laws.

“I do not approve of Hazare’s demand. It is unjust, uncalled for and impractical. The Right to Recall provision in electoral laws would lead to manifold problems and result in huge expenditure to the State exchequer. Such law would also make the Election Commission conduct elections frequently,” Athawale said.

Questioning Hazare’s logic behind making such a demand, Athavale said: “The democratic process of election is the biggest opportunity and if an elected representative does not perform, he or she can be defeated in the next election... Who stops you from not electing the sitting members?”

Athavale said that such provision in the elections rules warranted necessary amendment in the country’s constitution. “Frequent amendments in the constitutional provisions are not good for democracy,” he said.
The RPI(A) leader pointed that though he had supported Hazare’s Jan Lokpal Bill, the latter’s “Right to Recall” demand would not serve any purpose in a functioning democracy like India. “My opinion is that Hazare should seriously re-consider his stand on the issue,” he said.

Athavale, whose party is contesting the forthcoming municipal corporation polls in Maharashtra in alliance with the Opposition Shiv Sena and BJP, said: “My party was fed up with the ruling Congress-NCP alliance. That’s why it forged an electoral alliance with the Sena and BJP for the local body polls”.

Joshi, who was also present at the news conference, said that in addition to its alliance with the BJP and RPI(A), the Sena had entered into electoral understanding with the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP).
Joshi said the Sena-BJP-RPI(A)–PWP combine would emerge victorious in the forthcoming civic polls.