3203 Representation of People [RAJYA SABHA] (Second Amdt.) Bill

3203 Representation of People [RAJYA SABHA] (Second Amdt.) Bill, 1956 3204 cedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya says the expenditure incurred by any political Sabha, I hereby nominate the following party for its candidate is to be included in the Members to be members of the Rules election account of that particular candidate. I Committee: — was asking the Government to accept my amendment and I ventured to advance some 1. Shri S. V. Krishnamoorthy arguments in favour of what our amendment Rao. said. Sir, this is a simple proposition. If we 2. Shri C. C. Biswas. approach it in a straight forward manner, it should not be difficult for the Congress Party 3. Shri Lal Bahadur. or the Government for that matter to accept 4. Shrimati Violet Alva. such a reasonable amendment. 5. Shri R. S. Doogar. 6. Dr. Hriday Nath Kunzru. As I was pointing out day before yesterday, it has been provided in the Election Rules that 7. Shri Jaswant Singh. there should be some kind of a ceiling on the 8. Shri K. Madhava Menon. expenditure on the election by candidates and 9. Shri B. K. Mukerjee. if anywhere any candidate exceeds that limit, his election would be liable to be declared null and void and he would be disqualified. You 10. Shri B. M. Gupte. should view this matter rather seriously when a 11. Shrimati Parvathi Krishnan. particular candidate spends a lot of money 12. Shri G. Ranga. beyond the limit sanctioned by law. When we pass such a legislation, we must have realities 13. Shah Mohd. Umair. before us and our experience also, about what 14. Shri Rajendra Pratap Sinha. is happening in the country. We should not so fashion the legislation that it becomes possible for some candidates or some political party to commit a little fraud. We should not so arrange NOMINATIONS TO THE LIBRARY things that it becomes possible for a candidate COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENT or, for that matter, a particular political party to put its candidates to circumvent this law by MR. CHAIRMAN: We get back to spending money through the political party. following Members to be members of the We should not do such things. Otherwise, Library Committee of Parliament:— there is no point in passing a measure of this sort. In our country, today we do not have very 1. Prof. R. D. Sinha Dinkar. many independents contesting the elections. 2. Shrimati Lilavati Munshi. There was a time in our political life before 3. Shri Theodore Bodra. independence came to us, when generally rich people with great powers contested the elections. Today, the political life of our THE REPRESENTATION OF THE country has greatly changed and it is the PEOPLE (SECOND AMENDMENT) political parties who contest the elections and BILL, 1956—continued not the individuals. MR. CHAIRMAN: We get back to the There are, of course, here and there one or discussion. We will have to get through the two independent candidates. I business. Mr. Gupta, please be as brief as possible. Clause 42—Substitution of new sections for Sections 76, 77 and 78, Account of election expenses and maximum thereof. SHRI BHUPESH GUPTA (West Bengal): Mr. Chairman, I was speaking on our amendment No. 29 which 3205 Representation of People [25 MAY 1956] (Second Amdt.) Bill, 19563205 am not saying that there are no independent for the entire political life of the candidates, but they have become a minor country, not to speak of elections. It means factor in the whole set-up of elections. And that some people at the top, who do not whatever, we saw in the general elections, have very much link or touch with the we do not see now. At the time of the people, who are not particularly known general elections, we had a larger for their loyalty to the people, but who are number of independent candidates than certainly rich and powerful financially, we had in the by-elections that followed, would try to have their way by joining a speaking proportionately. Probably in the particular political party by next general elections, they will be completely offeringdonations, contributions, and all weeded out, and this is happening almost in that. This is what actually is happening. every State. The course of events points to In this way, these people get elected,. and the direction that independent candidates are what they cannot spend is spent by the party. not going to put themselves up as independent Now, should we have such a thing in our candidates, but they would rather go under this country? Is it right to have such a thing or that political party. And as we know it, happening in our country? Sir, hon. many of these independents, especially those Members talk about democracy, and they who are rich, find the doors of a particular always give us some very good lessons party in the country wide open. They can on democracy, and I hope that if our easily enter that particular political party teachers on that side of the House are by the power of their purse and the influence serious in their professions, as far as that they command, and we also see that a democracy is concerned, they will particular political party in the country, very accept this amendment for preventing. this powerful, and very much connected with kind of a corrupt practice during the the running of the State, also embraces elections. such independent candidates, as would bring with them not only the candidature, but Then, Sir, there is another factor which is also very substantial cash. This is what we also very important, when we are trying to find happening today. Now, naturally we develop what we call parliamentary should be concerned about such a situation, democracy. Everybody is serious about it. It is what is it that prevents a multi-millionaire from not merely these people who are serious about joining a particular political party and spending it. We are also equally serious about it. We Rs. 4,000 as a candidate, and getting another, must see that the places in Parliament and in shall we say, Rs. 50,000 spent by Assemblies are filled by those who are that political party? I take a concrete qualified, qualified from a democratic angle, example. Take for instance that the Congress qualified in terms of their loyalty to the people. Party puts up a candidate of that sort, and We must see that the power of money does not, that particular candidate, in the Assembly in any way, disturb the development of election, spends Rs. 4,000 which is the democracy in our country. Now, if the present permitted limit, and the Congress spends Rs. arrangement continues, as the Bill' provides, it 50,000, and that person shows in the list of his is not going to help matters in any way, election expenses that he has spent Rs. 4,000. because we will have a number of people in Well, he will not suffer from any kind of Parliament and Assemblies, who will either disqualification. But what about that Rs. themselves be rich and well-to-do, or who will 50,000 which had been spent by the party be proteges of those rich classes. As we know, which put him up? There is no provision in this Sir. in the United States of America, Lincoln law to prevent such a thing. Now, Sir, and Jefferson had a different concept of this is fraught with very serious democracy. They have got an entirely different consequences i type of democracy now there. Big business houses, multi-millionaire con- 3207 Representation of People [ RAJYA SABHA J (Second Amdt.) Bill, 1956 3208 [Shri Bhupesh Gupta.] cerns, big trusts should do. Now, Sir, what is the guarantee and cartels have got their candidates in the here that these elements, if they are in elections. They come from various political positions of leadership in particular States, parties, but those political parties are backed would not go in for collecting money from the up by the financial magnates, who not only rich people, and, shall we say, conduct dictate to them the particular candidates who elections according to the wishes of those should be put up in the elections, but also the people? In fact, Sir, as we know from policies that should be pursued if a particular experience, at the time of general elections in political party comes into power. Such a thing the States, a particular political party, very is happening in the United States of highly privileged in the political life of the America today. country today, went out for collecting funds from the millowners of Ahmedabad and Now. Sir, it is not secret, and in fact it is a Bombay, and those funds were spent for glaring truth that the elections there are very conducting the elections, and, Sir, you will costly, and that it is the people of the big find that there was absolutely no reflection of money who pull the strings, as far as the that amount spent in any of the accounts of elections go. The poor man has not got even election expenses submitted by the candidates the ghost of a chance in running an election of that party. We tell you, Sir, that today we campaign. Are we then going to emulate that are threatened by certain members of the sort of a thing, or, are we going to break such political party which sits opposite that in the ideas? This is a question which I pose before coming elections Rs.

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