Are you a graduate? Heck, sure you are! Do you know you belong to a special sub-class of electorate that is entitled to have its representation in the legislative assemblies? I am expecting an yes here in the light of recent news of bungling in graduate constituency elections in UP. Have you ever voted as a constituent of graduate constituency? Have you heard about Form 18? Do you know who are the MLCs in your state from the graduate constituency? Has any contestant from graduate constituency ever approached you to canvass your vote?
If the answer is a big resounding NO, the question naturally arises what the hell is going on? It looks like a relic of the medieval times that needs to be done away with. For this relic survives today only as a massive fraud.
Instead of having a graduate constituency for voters why can't we have a percentage of seats reserved for candidates who know the real business of legislation and governance? Wait, I know that word 'reserve' has raised your heckles. However what I am proposing next is that this reservation be raised rapidly to exclude all others so we have only legislators that are fit for the job.
Rajiv Gandhi had once desired all MPs to be trained in the areas we mentioned. Let us do away with the training. Let there be a certification body for administering tests to ensure that an aspiring legislator is fit for his job and only those who clear the tests with at least 75% marks should be allowed to contest elections. An applicant's actual academic qualifications may not matter as long as he can clear this test.
You may well argue that education or erudition is no guarantee of good character and good performance. Many of our learned ministers have shown that to be true. And so have our legislators from the graduate constituency! However its lack is a stronger indicator of a possibility of bad or no performance and mistaking rowdyism for political action.
The question ultimately is this. In any profession or job normally there are several rounds of elimination before you can make it. Why should there be only one round (elections) for politicians?
What say you? Shall we plan for opening an Academy for Budding Politicians anytime soon?
PS - To rid yourself of your ignorance of graduate constituency, read this.
If the answer is a big resounding NO, the question naturally arises what the hell is going on? It looks like a relic of the medieval times that needs to be done away with. For this relic survives today only as a massive fraud.
Instead of having a graduate constituency for voters why can't we have a percentage of seats reserved for candidates who know the real business of legislation and governance? Wait, I know that word 'reserve' has raised your heckles. However what I am proposing next is that this reservation be raised rapidly to exclude all others so we have only legislators that are fit for the job.
Rajiv Gandhi had once desired all MPs to be trained in the areas we mentioned. Let us do away with the training. Let there be a certification body for administering tests to ensure that an aspiring legislator is fit for his job and only those who clear the tests with at least 75% marks should be allowed to contest elections. An applicant's actual academic qualifications may not matter as long as he can clear this test.
You may well argue that education or erudition is no guarantee of good character and good performance. Many of our learned ministers have shown that to be true. And so have our legislators from the graduate constituency! However its lack is a stronger indicator of a possibility of bad or no performance and mistaking rowdyism for political action.
The question ultimately is this. In any profession or job normally there are several rounds of elimination before you can make it. Why should there be only one round (elections) for politicians?
What say you? Shall we plan for opening an Academy for Budding Politicians anytime soon?
PS - To rid yourself of your ignorance of graduate constituency, read this.
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