After filing nomination for Deputy Chairmain post in RS, Manoj Jha writes to all parliamentarians
Sep 11, 2020
New Delhi [India], September 11 : Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, who filed nomination as the Opposition's joint candidate for the post of Deputy Chairman in Rajya Sabha wrote a letter to all parliamentarians and requested their support not simply "to win an election but to make a strong statement in favour of an accountable system of governance".
"It is a great honour for me that several political parties in the opposition have placed their trust in me to be the joint candidate for the position of deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha. I have accepted this responsibility with humility and pride because I understand that constructive political opposition is not just about numbers but it is a critical and moral force in the nation," Jha stated.
"The Rajya Sabha is the house in which state legislatures are represented. Therefore, the upper house of the Parliament is also the forum for articulation of federal concerns at the Centre. I am requesting your support not simply to win an election but to make a strong statement in favour of an accountable system of governance," he added.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that it is the collective wish of the opposition that this election may not be seen as a "contest for power" to legislate at the level of the union government.
"It should also not be seen as a contest between two individuals. In view of the great parliamentary tradition, this election is about two different versions of our parliamentary democracy - one, which sees it only as a number game, and the other which places importance on critique, discussion, and consensus building in the interest of our country and its people," read the letter.
"This contest is an opportunity for the political parties to show that the institution of Parliament--central to India's democracy--is not seen as having abdicated its responsibility in the time of grave crises. It is an opportunity for us to show that as legislators, we are capable of supporting good ideas and suggestions no matter which part of the political spectrum they come from," it said.
The RJD MP said that a system in which regional parties that have formed state governments do not have to depend on quid pro quo with the party in power at the Centre just to maintain a non-adversarial federal state-union relationship.
"I hope that you will stand up and be counted in front of the people of the country, especially those coming of age, who are looking for the leadership of the country to show them a way out of our bleak circumstances. I hope that you will see this as an opportunity to be recorded in the history of India as defenders of parliamentary democracy at a time when that was the most crucial need," read the letter.
