Varun Gandhi moves bill to recall MPs, MLAs for non-performance

Voters should be able to control the political narrative in the country rather than being part of it only once in five years, BJP MP Varun Gandhi today said, asserting the right to recall is an idea whose time has come.

He has moved a bill which proposes that MPs and MLAs may be recalled if electors are not satisfied with their performance.

Maintaining that it is not fair in the democratic system that electorates suffer in silence as mute spectators, the MP from Sultanpur said, "Voters should control the political narrative in the country rather than being part of it only once in five years."

He has proposed a Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which says that MPs and MLAs may be recalled within two years from being elected if 75 per cent of those who voted for them are not satisfied with their performance.

"This bill attempts to give electors an opportunity to lead and control the political narrative so that the electorate feels part of the process and is not relegated to being part of the narrative only once in every five years," Varun told PTI.

However, at the same time the recall process defined in the bill is not easy, he said, adding it was to avoid misuse of the provision also.

Noting that the bill may not be a perfect piece of legislation since it is work in progress, Varun said, "It is an idea whose time has come and it has already been experimented with in several countries across the world."

The attempt is to not just have this "progressive idea" debated among MPs but also to generate public opinion, he added.