Why should parties issue whip to legislators? V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar questions practice | India News

“Examine whether the US has whip or not, find out in the last ten years how decisions of the Senate have been influenced by persuasion. But when you issue a whip, there is no persuasion. To persuade whom?… Political parties are supposed to promote democracy, but do the elected representatives have the freedom of expression? Whip comes in the way,” he said.

In the last session of Parliament, the BJP had issued a whip to its members to be present as Bills for simultaneous elections were being introduced. Parties have been known to issue whips to their members to be present or vote a certain way on significant legislation.

Dhankhar added that disruptions had turned Parliament into a battleground from the temple of democracy it once was. “Is there anything left to see? Anything left to hear? People have forgotten the word decorum and there is no concept of dignity anymore,” he said.

The V-P also cautioned against the weaponisation of access to the judiciary, saying that it had become a threat to governance. “We have a fundamental right in the country, and the right is we can access judiciary. It’s a fundamental right. But in the last few decades, access to judiciary has been weaponised. It has been weaponised to another level. It is posing a great challenge to our governance, our democratic values,” he said.

Dhankhar went on to add that executive functions were being performed by bodies that had no jurisdiction or authority to do so. “Institutions are yielding ground to other institutions, and that is being done out of expediency. These placatory mechanisms may result in short-term gain, but they cause incalculable spinal damage in the long run,” he said.