We, the voters, are supposed to elect our representatives once every five years. In September, 1985, we elected an Assembly which was not allowed to function, for good or bad reasons for five years. Now it appears that the Central Government wants to revive the 1985 Punjab Assembly and allow it to run for three more years, so the voters of Punjab will be denied the right to elect their representatives for three more years.
The only rationale is that the worthy MLAs of 1985 were not allowed to rule for five years.
This raises a fundamental question. In a democracy what is more important: the right of voters to elect their representatives every five years or the right of MLAs to rule for five years?
The 1985 MLAs may have a legitimate grouse against the Central Government (for not being given enough time to get return on their investment in election) but the voters of Punjab must not be denied the right merely for this reason. Moreover, the charade of dissolution, President’s rule and revival can be repeated again.
This is not a paranoid reaction. ‘There has been no SGPC elections for the past 10 years
Revival of Punjab Assembly will also be bad politics.
The major cause of the Punjab agitation has been that Punjab is controlled too much from Delhi and it is done in a sneaky manner. The Kashmir problem has been brought to the present seriousness by consistently depriving the people of their right to elect their own government.
The proposed move to revive the Punjab Assembly will be similar to the installation of the Ghulam Shah Government in Kashmir. Nobody can claim that the 1985 MLAs represent Punjab now. Their following can be guessed from results of the November, 1989, election.
Revival of the 1985 Assembly for three more years now will now will be undemocratic, erode the faith in judiciary and intensifying alienation and violence in Punjab.
Pritpal Singh
Chandigarh
Article extracted from this publication >> September 14, 1990
