HVK Archives: People want educated Mps, MLAs
People want educated Mps, MLAs - The Hindu
Special Correspondent
()
August 21, 1998
Title: People want educated Mps, MLAs
Author: Special Correspondent
Publication: The Hindu
Date: August 21, 1998
The Election Commission's proposal to fix matriculation as the
minimum qualification for candidates contesting elections has
found an echo among the people who, as per the findings of an
opinion poll, have endorsed the need for such an electoral
reform. Of the 9,562 persons interviewed from all sections of
society in 20 leading centres in the country, 80 per cent
favoured prescribing minimum educational qualifications for MPs
and MLAS.
The opinion poll was conducted independently by the Centre for
Media and Cultural Research between July 9 and July 30, following
the suggestion of the Election Commissioner, Mr. G.VG.
Krishnamurthy, that minimum educational qualifications be made
mandatory for all those seeking to contest Assembly and
Parliamentary elections. While the EC's suggestion may have
emanated from a genuine concern over declining standards of
performance of people's representatives inside legislative
bodies, the respondents too revealed a strong dislike for the
large number of illiterates - estimated to be about three per
cent - in the legislatures both at the Centre and the States.
However. they were not unanimous on what should be the minimum
educational standard set for the political contestants given the
startling fact that some Central and State Ministers have not
even studied upto Class VIII. While suggesting matriculation as
the minimum qualification, the EC had recommended graduation as
the appropriate level of education.
The EC's proposal was, however, rejected on August 17 by the
former Union Home Minister. Mr. Indrajit Gupta, who is heading a
seven member Committee of Parliamentarians on Electoral Reforms.
The CPI leader had expressed his reservation against any move to
restrict the right of the people to vote or contest elections.
The results of the opinion poll are perhaps well-timed as the
Committee is expected to submit its report to the Centre by the
end of next month after holding two more meetings in Calcutta and
Delhi. So far, it has met representatives of various political
parties, chambers of commerce and business houses, voluntary
organisations and prominent citizens in Mumbai.
The Constitution makes a contestant eligible if the following six
conditions are fulfilled : he or she is a citizen of the country
and also a voter, is above 25 years of age for Lok Sabha and
Legislative Assembly and over 30 years for Rajya Sabha and
Legislative Council, must take an oath of allegiance to the
Constitution at the time of filing nominations, must not be
suffering from any disqualification like conviction for crimes or
corrupt practices and must pay security deposit and have
requisite proposers.
Mr. Krishnamurthy during his visit to Chennai in June this year
had suggested addition of a seventh condition for eligibility
under Article 84 arguing that if eighth standard education was
prescribed for a peon to join Government service and
matriculation for an attender and graduation for a clerk, why
should MPs, MLAS, Ministers, Chief Ministers be exempted.
The EC had further argued that in the early '50s when the
Representation of the People Act, 1951, was enacted by
Parliament, no educational qualifications were prescribed because
several freedom fighters had dropped out of schools and colleges
to participate in the freedom struggle and the literacy rate was
low. But 50 years hence, in post- independence India, there has
been considerable achievement in the field of education and
literacy and while on die threshhold of a new millennium, it was
illogical to feel diffident about prescribing minimum educational
standards for Parliamentarians and Legislators. In fact way back
in 1949 stalwarts like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Dr. Rajendra Prasad,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and C. Rajagopalachari had raised the
question of educational qualifications of candidates and
expressed concern about its damaging consequences.
The opinion poll. however. revealed that only 26 per cent of the
respondents were aware of the support of leaders of yesteryears
but 83. 51 per cent of them wanted that candidates should be well-
educated. Also. 76.21 per cent of those interviewed said they
would prefer to vote for a candidate who had a clean image. was
educated and without any criminal background while 62.40 per cent
of respondents suggested that political parties should put up
only educated persons is candidates and also insist on minimum
educational qualification for them by bringing about an amendment
to the Constitution. According to data on educational
qualifications of MPs released by the Election Commission
interestingly reveals that in the 11 th Lok Sabha. there were 117
non-graduate's who included both Inter pass and fail, matric
pass/fail and Class VIII pass/fail and 26 non-graduates in Rajya
Sabha (1997-98).
MPs by degrees
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No.School School Graduate Post Higher
Certificate Certificate Graduate Studies
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1st Lok Sabha 112 88 177 85 15
2nd Lok Sabha 120 90 160 92 9
3rd Lok Sabha 141 87 157 98 7
4th Lok Sabha 54 101 172 113 17
5th Lok Sabha 11 98 217 112 78
6th Lok Sabha 52 132 205 132 9
7th Lok Sabha 53 118 213 136 8
8th Lok Sabha 42 112 238 131 10
9th Lok Sabha 21 111 222 137 21
10th Lok Sabha 21 101 245 150 20
11th Lok Sabha 16 101 222 147 31
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