The Requirement for Laws Permitting Party Manifesto Challenges in the Indian Parliament for Empowering Opposition:
The concept of letting MPs question a party’s manifesto inside the sacred halls of Parliament is an issue that deserves considerable thought, especially in a dynamic democracy like India where political parties rely heavily on their manifestos. A party’s manifesto, which is a statement of its goals and pledges to voters, is an essential component of the political process. However, questions concerning the responsibility of political parties and the representation of the interests of the people have been highlighted by the lack of a legislative framework within the parliamentary system for contesting manifestos.
Party manifestos function as an agreement between the electorate and political parties. They provide people a clear idea of what to anticipate should the party win power by outlining the party’s goals, platforms, and commitments. During elections, manifestos have a significant impact on voter choices and public opinion. But after a party gains power, the manifesto frequently becomes less relevant, and the absence of procedures to carry out manifesto commitments raises concerns about the responsibility of elected officials.
When party manifestos are broken after an election, parliamentarians—who represent the people find themselves in a difficult situation. The lack of legal channels to address manifesto pledge violations makes it more difficult for legislators to hold their own parties responsible. The democratic ideals of accountability and openness are compromised by this circumstance, as elected officials could feel more obligated to their political party than to the people they serve.
Empowering legislators to question their party’s platform in the legislature is a step in the right direction towards fortifying democratic principles. A bill of this kind will promote an open and transparent political culture by giving legislators a legal way to voice their concerns about pledges made during campaigns.
While I, as political activist I was working on parliament questions for a Member Parliament of my Political party for the upcoming budget session and when I was researching for the questions to counter Union government led by BJP and I looked thoroughly on BJP’s Manifesto where i thought to challenge the government on these points but my i was unarmed and bound to law for framing those questions, for example the PM promises of 25 Lakh crore investment in agri-rural sector and also promised to piped drinking water to every household by 2022, and sometimes these challenges are also not answerable by the RTIs, i am also aware that this article can’t amend the laws but yes I can aware people at my level.
Political procedures must change in a dynamic democracy like India in order to satisfy the changing demands of the voters. Legislation enabling members of parliament to question party manifestos in the legislature is a step in the right direction towards upholding democratic principles. By doing this, India may cultivate a political culture in which elected officials are enabled to put the needs of their people ahead of party allegiance, ultimately leading to a democratic government that is more responsive and responsible.
Written By:
SAPHAL HARPREET SINGH
Student of legal studies in OP Jindal Global University