Make parties accountable for poll promises: CJI

Justice Khehar says manifestos have become ‘mere pieces of paper’

New Delhi: Political parties should be held accountable for not fulfilling the promises they make while campaigning ahead of elections, Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar said on Saturday.

While speaking at a seminar titled “Economic Reforms with Reference to Electoral issues,” he said manifestos have become “mere pieces of paper” nowadays.” The two-day seminar was being organised by the Confederation of Bar in New Delhi.

The Chief Justice pointed out “brazen” excuses political parties use, such as a lack of consensus among party members, to justify not fulfilling their poll promises. Khehar emphasised that outfits must be held accountable for turning manifestos into “pieces of paper” even if people have “short-term memory” with regard to what they had been promised.

Speaking about the party manifestos released ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the CJI said none of them highlighted any connection between electoral reforms and the Constitutional goal of “ensuring economic-social justice to the marginalised sections”. Separate programmes for the poor, marginlised, scheduled caste and scheduled tribes were missing from the manifestos. The political parties have commitments for economic reform.

Emphasising on reform in the conduct of political parties, land reform and economic reforms were two big achievements by India after Independence.

He said pursuant to the Supreme Court’s directions to the Election Commission of India to formulate guidelines against freebies, the poll panel has been taking action against parties for violation of the model code of conduct. The Chief Justice made the statements in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee and Justice Dipak Misra.

The President, who inaugurated the event, concurred with the CJI on accountability of political parties and said these should be accountable to the voters.

Expressing concern over no political party getting 51 per cent of votes for 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, he said parties that obtain less percentage also should be accountable to 1,800 million voters in the country. Since there is no mechanism for their discipline, Mukherjee said the political parties should develop volunteer moral code of conduct with the changing scenario.

Justice Dipak Misra, the next senior-most judge, also stressed upon the need for electoral reforms, saying that “purchasing power has no room in elections” and a candidate must bear in mind that “contesting elections is not an investment”.

He said holding of elections has to be “bereft of or sans criminalisation” and people should vote for candidates based on their high moral and ethical values, and “not on their competitive demerits”.