Author:
Publication: BJP Today
Date: July 16-31, 2000
Even when the Congress
Party has decided to boycott the National Commission to Review the working
of the Constitution, it will be educative for them to recall what the former
Chief Minister of Maharashtra, A.R. Antulay had said on the present constitution
while speaking on the economic resolution at the AICC meeting in New Delhi
on December 7, 1980.
Here are excerpts from
that speech:-
The Parliamentary democracy
can never in my humble submission, Madam, bring in the progress as we desire.
We have got to switch on to the system that is going to give you as the
people of India desire a free hand, free five years to do as they wish
to do. Between the Constitution as designed and the Constitution that is
desired to be done, there is a vast difference.
"Even the forefathers,
founding fathers of Constitution had given a note of warning, that every
15 or 20 years the constitutional workings be reviewed in this country
and whichever suit then generation needs to be adopted. The Constitution
was imposed on 26th January 1950. In the light of the experience, we have
failed. Madam, Moradi Desai had majority in Parliament and yet the Government
collapsed like a pack of cards. Charan Singh was installed, though he did
not enjoy a majority in Parliament. What type of democracy is this! I don't
know. But the Constitution permitted or was supposed to have permitted
and the President. That means our Constitution is designed keeping great
men like Gandhi, Nehru and Smt. Indira in view. That Smt. Indira Gandhi,
Nehru and Gandhi will not be there for all times to come and the Constitution
has to be designed keeping small men in view. The past two years, were
an eye-opener to the Indian and I think, to the world. Smaller men came
at the helm of affairs, much smaller than you Madam, and the entire system
cracked. The system is going to crack.
You may and you will,
as the acknowledged leader of the country, carry on the administration
in spite of the agitations and certainly you will give stability so far
as the Government is concerned. But Madam, we have to think of 10 years
hence, 20 years hence, 50 years hence and if the Constitution has to be
designed in a manner that should work when smaller men like Morarji and
Charan Singh also are put at the helm of affairs, then we have got to see
that we have the system that is going to be workable in this country, and
to my mind not the US system alone. The pitfalls of the US system and the
pitfalls of the so-called Parliamentary democracy which we have adopted
are to be taken into consideration. Remove them and then we have to have
a system that is workable. It may be like the French model. It may be French,
or US or it may be totally democratic, yet totally Indian. Madam, I think
it is high time that in the interest of the economic progress of the country,
In the interest of the upliftment of the downtrodden, in the interest of
bettering the lots of the masses, we have got to give the system where
there is no worry with regard to the tenure, where there is no worry with
regard to these agitations, which are deliberately launched with a political
motive."
