LUCKNOW: Supporting the idea of non-political families to be a part of the political system, BJP MP from Sultanpur Varun Gandhi on Saturday said that he would not have become an MP if his surname was not Varun Gandhi.
Supporting the selection of political leaders based on merit, rather than their political lineage, the leader said – “I am Feroze Varun Gandhi. If my surname was not Gandhi, would I have become an MP at the age of 29? I want to see an India where it doesn’t matter if I am Varun Dutta or Varun Ghosh or Varun Khan. I want to see a nation where all are given equal rights, regardless of their names,” he said while addressing a programme in Uttar Pradesh’s district of Sultanpur.
During the event, the BJP MP also spoke on the importance of “right to recall” and other reforms to the current political structure.
“Winning an election is not enough… People must have the right to recall and I introduced this bill (a private member’s bill) in Parliament as a step to ensure that people, if not satisfied with their representatives, can get them removed,” he said.
The leader then shared an example of the British Parliament and said that the electorate there could collectively petition the government and if over a lakh signatures were there, a discussion could be initiated in parliament ensuring accountability of an elected representatives.
In 2016, the MP from Sultanpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh had proposed an amendment in the Representation of the People Act 1951 through his Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill in the parliament, seeking for the right of common masses to remove their elected representatives within two years from being elected, if 75 percent of those who voted for them are not satisfied with their performance.
Highlighting the dearth of talented people in the current political set up, he said that during the recent zila parishad elections in his constituency, he ensured that talented people were given an opportunity to contest and most of them won.
Addressing the issue of MPs self-appraising their salaries, he narrated an incident when had called a session in Tamil Nadu assembly to discuss the issue of farmers’ suicide. “On my request, there was a full day session at the Tamil Nadu assembly, and they argued for a full day too, but for doubling the salary of MLAs,” Gandhi said.
