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Venkataraman will head Constitution review panel

George Iype in New Delhi

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government will soon appoint a multi-member commission to comprehensively review and recommend suggestions to alter the Republic's guiding document, the Constitution.

Official sources said Home Minister L K Advani has shortlisted a panel of constitutional experts and eminent parliamentarians and submitted them for clearance to Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Advani, who has vigorously argued for reviewing the Constitution, has reportedly recommended that the commission should consist of 10 members and be headed by former President R Venkataraman.

While the prime minister is expected to take a decision on setting up the commission soon after his four-nation trip next week, the choice of Venkataraman to head what could be a most controversial government panel has to be cleared by the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership.

A review of the Constitution was one of the most significant promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto as well as in the ruling coalition's national agenda for governance.

The BJP leadership has advocated that in the light of the experiences of the past 50 years, it is time to take a fresh look at the Constitution and make suitable recommendations.

The BJP's proposal to review the Constitution has been sharply criticised by Opposition parties who argue that the effort is to alter the Constitution's salient features by the "saffron agenda."

BJP sources said the decision to appoint Venkataraman as the commission's head is aimed at allaying the Opposition parties' fears that the Vajpayee government is attempting to subvert the Constitution.

"We hope the Opposition parties, especially the Congress, will not oppose Venkataraman because he has been demanding a fresh look at the Constitution since his days in the Congress," a BJP leader told Rediff On The NeT.

But the BJP leader disclosed the party has not yet approved of Venkataraman's name. Another contender for the post is former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap.

The BJP leadership initially suggested that one of its senior MPs should chair the commission to review the Constitution.

But Advani apparently convinced party leaders that Venkataraman is the ideal choice in view of the commission's controversial nature and also because of some of his pro-BJP statements in the past few months.

The former President differed with the Opposition parties on the BJP government's decision to conduct the nuclear tests in May. Venkataraman also sternly criticised former Uttar Pradesh governor Romesh Bhandari's attempt to sack the Kalyan Singh government in February.

However, since Venkataraman has advocated the need for a comprehensive review of the Constitution in the past, Opposition parties are likely to oppose his appointment.

Advani and home ministry officials are going ahead with the plans to notify the institution of the commission as quickly as possible.

Officials said the draft proposal and terms of references of the commission are ready. "We are now waiting for a nod from the PMO and the Cabinet secretariat to notify the commission," a home ministry official said.

He said the government is speeding up the process of setting up the commission along with some major decisions like the promulgation of the Prasar Bharti ordinance, the establishment of the Central Vigilance Commission and the creation of new states.

EARLIER FEATURE
The Constitution Review Debate

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