Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday advocated the introduction of ‘Right to Recall’ in India’s parliamentary democracy. The Rajya Sabha MP argued that voters must have the right to remove elected representatives before completing their terms if they fail to perform.
Raghav Chadha said that there are more than 24 democracies in the world, including the United States and Switzerland. (Parliament TV via PTI)chada Time raises the issue Zero Hour in Parliament, and later took to social media platform X to detail the proceedings. “If the voters can appoint a leader, they should also be able to dismiss the leader. If Indian voters have the right to elect, they should also have the ‘right of withdrawal’,” he said.
in Rajya Sabhathe AAP leader said that while Indian citizens have a constitutional right to elect their representatives in Parliament and the Legislative Assembly, there is no direct mechanism for them to dis-elect them due to non-performance or misconduct, PTI reported.
Chadha said more than 24 democracies around the world, including the United States and Switzerland, “initiate some form of voter recall or removal.”
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What is ‘Right to Recall’?The ‘right to recall’ is a mechanism that gives voters the power to “de-elect an elected representative” before the end of their five-year term, be it an MP or an MLA. Citizens can remove these representatives if they fail to fulfill their duties, Chadha said.
In his post on X, the AAP The MP said, “If we can impeach the president, vice president and judges and move a motion of no confidence against an elected government in the interim, why should voters be forced to put up with an ineffective MP or MLA for five whole years.”
He also said that five years is “too long”, adding that there is no profession where you will underperform for that period “with zero consequences”.
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What safeguards have AAP MPs suggested?While urging the introduction of these reforms, Chadha also suggested some safeguards to prevent abuse. These include:
• Threshold – A recall “trigger” or proposal needs to be supported by at least 35 to 40 percent of voters via a verified petition before a recall vote can be held.
• Cooling Period – There must be a minimum 18-month lock-in period after election so that the representative has time to deliver and not be noticed immediately after winning.
• Clear Grounds – Revocation should only be initiated for proven misconduct, fraud, corruption or gross dereliction of duty. It cannot be used in normal political disputes.
• Final Test – A recall will only occur if more than 50 percent of voters support the removal in a recall vote.
