The controversy generated by Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijju’s statement in the Rajya Sabha that he had not received any proposal from Odisha about setting up a legislative council in the state has served an important purpose. The dismay caused by his statement notwithstanding, it has brought the issue of relevance and utility of a legislative council back into focus.
There is no dearth of people who think that a legislative council or Vidhan Parishad is nothing but a colossal waste of money as it serves little purpose except helping the rehabilitation of some political discards, especially those members of the ruling party who happen to lose the elections to the legislative assembly.
Currently, only Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have legislative councils. This shows that the idea of a bicameral legislature, especially in states, is not favoured by many. Most of the critics are against the idea because setting up an Upper House involves a lot of expenditure, thus putting extra burden on the state exchequer.
But having a legislative council has its own benefits. The most important argument in favour of creating an Upper House in a state is that it helps improve the quality of legislative debates and ensures that the legislature actually generates light instead of heat. Unlike the lower House, where antics of members often grab attention instead of debates, the council focuses on intellectually enriching debates on important issues.
Considering that members of the council are drawn from diverse backgrounds and happen to be achievers in their respective fields, they focus less on party politics and more on policy issues that can improve the life of common citizens. The bills that sometimes get passed in the legislative assembly without adequate debate because of din over various issues get a reality check in the council where members scrutinize it from different angles. Proper debate ensures that bills get the final thumbs-up only after they are found to be satisfactory.
It is true that legislative councils are sometimes used by ruling parties for the political rehabilitation of their leaders who fail to get elected in the regular assembly elections. But it all depends on the discretion of the leadership of the party which is in the government. Good leadership takes care to ensure that only leaders who can help improve the quality of House debates and enrich the policies of the state are sent to the Upper House.
Besides, an effort is made to draft in the best brains in different fields into the Upper House so that they contribute meaningfully to debates and strengthen the state’s important policies with their suggestions. If that happens, the legislative council will actually serve a meaningful purpose.
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