CHAPTER 13
MOTION OF THANKS
Lok Sabha , 31 March 1977
Shri. Y. B. Chavan : Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am rising to participate in this debate to briefly explain our views on the President’s address. Which is under discussion. Before I start discussing the documents itself, I would like to give my best wishes and congratulations to the party in power, particularly, the Prime Minister, who happens to be an old Congressmen and also a very elderly statemen of India. We are happy to see him there. When I said, I wish well to the ruling party - because they claim to be a party - I have my own doubts about’ this proposition, but I would come to that point a little later. But certainly, I think, I must give them my best wishes. They claim to be a party; I wish they were a party, but as they are claiming it, it is better to wish them well.
Now, coming to the document itself, it is a very brief document and looks a light-weight document, not in the physical sense, but looking to the contents to the document. I do understand the argument that there was a very little time for the Government to prepare a well-reasoned document in three day’s time, but even then, there are many experienced people in political life and administrative life sitting on the Treasury Benches and we expected a little better document, a little weighty document with a little more content. This observation, I must make as a representative of my party. They have come to take over the administration with triumphal beating of drums and I think, it was necessary for the country to know exactly what they want to do while in power in different fields. There are, of course, certain indications of a few things, about which I will certainly say very briefly, what we think about these.
Sir, many members discussed the significance of the election results and the patterns of the elections. Well, we have conceded that we have lost the election and the mandate has gone against the emergency. As the Mandate has gone against the emergency, we have withdrawn the emergency and I think, our country has said good-bye to the emergency for good. But at the same time, I think the significance of the election was that it rejected the emergency, but it did not accept the Janata Party. This is a matter of interpretation. The Janata Party, I am told, has yet to come into existence on the 1st of May, a very revolutionary day to take birth and I am sure, the members of the CPI(M) would take a great pride in that and sing songs about it. I, of course, do not know about the feelings of the Swatantra Party.
This vote, according to me, is rejection of the rigours of emergency and the emergency itself. We, as Congressmen have accepted it. We have also accepted the lesson that delegation of powers without adequate checks and controls, either to the executive or to the bureaucracy is apt to be misused and abused. This is a lesson that one needs to keep in mind and I think, this would guide the political life of India in the days to come.