Andhra Pradesh government once again wants to abolish Legislative Council – Why not Constitutional provision for Legislative Council in states be repealed
It refers to Andhra Pradesh cabinet once again deciding to abolish useless provision of Legislative Council in the state. Andhra Pradesh has a unique record of setting and abolishing Legislative Council with first time set up in the year 1958 and then again in the year 2007 after being abolishing in the year 1985 and now decided to be abolished in the year 2020.
There was a post-emergency era in the year 1977 when Legislative Councils remained in just five states, but now being again constituted in other states. Presently apart from Andhra Pradesh, five other states Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh have Legislative Councils, while proposals to create Legislative Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Parliamentary Committee that examined the Rajasthan Bill advocated for the evolution of a national policy for creation or abolition of Legislative Councils rather than at the whims and fancy of a newly elected Government in the State.
Best is to altogether abolish constitutional provision of having Legislative Councils. These serve no practical purpose other than rehabilitation of family-members and other favorites of political rulers including several rejected ones of general elections to be employed at public-expense just to provide an expensive feather on caps of those elected. Ruling parties in states also manipulate winning of its candidates in elections to Legislative Council by misuse of power.
MADHU AGRAWAL