'People should have right to recall MPs/MLAs'

ALLAHABAD: Government elected through ballot is considered to be the best, but when bullet and wallet come together, the very purpose of democracy gets defeated, said Yogeshwar Tiwari, president of Allahabad University Teachers Association (Y) and professor in the department of medieval and modern history while talking about the ensuing parliamentary elections.
Airing similar concern, general secretary of Allahabad Medical Association, Dr Yuganter Pandey, urged the voters to rise above petty considerations of caste, creed and religion and cast votes in favour of candidates who are literate enough to address the real issues of development.
He felt that it was ironic indeed that masses raise a hue and cry over the credentials of candidates contesting the elections but rarely has a responsible citizen with a clean image come forward as a champion of public cause. Under the circumstances, the voters are left with little option but to exercise their franshise in favour of candidates who are in the fray and the preference is to vote for a person who is a lesser evil in comparison to the rest.
The right to rule is neither divine nor prone to be grabbed through force is what the voters have proved frequently through the elections. The Election Commission has been instrumental in making the elections a free and fair affair.
The government-appointed bodies like the Indrajeet Gupta Committee, Dinesh Goswami Committee, Law Commission and the Constitution Review Committee have also contributed to this goal. However, efforts to challenge casteism, communalism, criminalisation of politics, fake voting, preventing poor and underprivileged from voting are some major issues that need to be addressed in the right earnest. The prime reason for unruly behaviour of the elected members is the entry of undesirable elements in the social-political system.
Social worker Anand Mohan advocated the need of introducing an additional column in the ballot paper or electronic voting machine so that the voters, who are unhappy with the present set of politicians could register their feeling of dissatisfaction.
Mohan felt that the need of the hour was to introduce a bill for the right of citizens to recall the elected representatives. Only then could there be a change in the state of affairs as the elected representatives would realise that they cannot continue to play fool with the masses throughout their tenure, he felt.
Chartered accountant Brijendra Nagar felt that the masses got what they deserved. "Everyone wants that martyrs like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad should take birth in the society but no one wants such people to be born in his home," he quipped. Till such attitude prevails, there was little hope for the society to develop and flourish. Nevertheless, he felt that abstaining from voting was in no way an answer to get rid of the malaise.
The AUTA (Y) president pointed out that in the 14th Lok Sabha, as many as 100 MPs were involved in criminal cases. The money power is rising as a crucial consideration during the elections.
Only voters voters can halt this unbridled march of caste-based politics. For this, every voter needs to vote impartially. Absence from voting is akin to giving a green signal of victory to the undeserving and unwanted persons donning the `khaddar'.
There should be legal arrangements to limit campaigning and preventing it from spilling over to emotional and negatively stimulating issues like religion, he stressed.