NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday called for consideration of a right to recall system for elected representatives by the people who vote for them. He said that voters should have the right to recall their MPs and MLAs after a certain period of performance if the elected representatives do not live up to the expectations of the electorate.
He stated that such a right to recall elected representatives exists in 24 countries around the world and is also applicable at the panchayat level in some Indian states, including Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Raising the issue, which sparked murmurs of dissent among the majority of members of the House, Chadha said that the right to recall would act as an insurance mechanism for voters, safeguarding their right to vote by enabling them to take back their mandate from those who fail to perform for the people and their constituencies after being elected.
He argued that if the President, Vice-President and many other constitutional posts come under provisions for impeachment, then the people should also have the right to recall their elected representatives.
He further suggested a set of safeguards to ensure the transparent and justified use of such a right, if it is enacted and granted to the people of India. He said that elected representatives should only be declared "recalled back" if 50 per cent of the total voters in their constituencies exercise their right to recall the concerned representative.