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Ban criminals’ entry into Parliament

HK. DUA’s front-page editorial, “Parliament: The bold, the beautiful and the ugly” (July 24) was timely. I thank The Tribune for mobilising public opinion in favour of the nuclear deal.

Now that the UPA government has won the trust vote with a comfortable majority, it should concentrate on containing inflation and price rise. The common man even today does not know much about the nuclear deal, but his main focus is on getting cheap wheat and dal. Now that the Left is out of the UPA, the Centre can safely proceed with the reform process.

The entry of criminals into Parliament also irks the common masses. Criminals lower the standard of Indian democracy. All the political parties should sit and devise ways and means to ban the entry of criminals in Parliament and state legislatures. The Tribune should mobilise public opinion against criminals’ entry into Parliament so that the people reject such candidates in the ensuing elections.

GIAN CHAND VERMA, Yamunanagar

II

The presence of Mohd. Shahabuddin, Atiq Ahmed, Suraj Bhan and Pappu Yadav, who had come from the jail to participate in the debate and voting on the confidence motion moved by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, speaks volumes about the present-day polity. Our political masters are to be blamed for this because they encourage such criminals for their own survival.

It will be wrong to think that the political parties will shun criminals in the coming Lok Sabha elections. It is we the people who will have to rise to the occasion and take a pledge to reject criminals contesting elections. Otherwise, posterity will not forgive us.

The faulty electronic counting system in Parliament is yet another blot on our system. Nearly 40-odd MPs were made to vote manually. Why was this allowed to happen? This speaks poorly of the functioning of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Dr NARESH RAJ, Patiala

III

It is a matter of serious concern that the world’s largest democracy has a disturbing political system. Our representatives have set aside moral values and services to society. Most MLAs and MPs indulge in crime.

Shockingly, 22 BSP MLAs and MPs are facing criminal charges. What can they do for people whom they represent in Parliament and state assemblies? Such people must be given exemplary punishment. The political parties should not shield them; rather they should come forward and deny them tickets. The Election Commission must take a serious view of this situation and disqualify criminals from contesting elections.

M.S. SIDHU, Kapurthala