Whip
Context:
Congress has appointed MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Chhaya Verma as Rajya Sabha whips.
- The party now has the same number of whips and chief whips in the Upper House as in the Lok Sabha.
What is Whip:
- Though the offices of the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition are not mentioned in the Constitution of India, they are mentioned in the Rules of the House and Parliamentary Statute respectively.
- The office of ‘whip’, on the other hand, is mentioned neither in the Constitution of India nor in the Rules of the House nor in a Parliamentary Statute.
- It is based on the conventions of the parliamentary government.
- Every political party, whether ruling or Opposition has its own whip in the Parliament.
- He is appointed by the political party to serve as an assistant floor leader.
- He is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the attendance of his party members in large numbers and securing their support in favour of or against a particular issue.
- He regulates and monitors their behaviour in the Parliament.
- The members are supposed to follow the directives given by the whip. Otherwise, disciplinary action can be taken.
Types of Whips
- The One-line whip to inform the members about a vote. It allows a member to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line.
- The Two-line whip is issued to direct the members to be present in the House at the time of voting. No special instructions are given on the pattern of voting.
- The Three-line whip is issued to members directing them to vote as per the party line. It is the strictest of all the whip.
Functions of Whip
- The whip plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of business on the floor of the House.
- He is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the attendance of his party members in large numbers and securing their support in favour of or against a particular issue.
- He ensures discipline among party members in the House.
- He identifies the signs of discontent among MPs and informs the respective leaders of their party.
- He or she acts as a binding force in the party and responsible for maintaining the internal party organisation in the Parliament and.
- Violation of whip: If an MP violates his party’s whip, he faces expulsion from the House under the Anti Defection Act.
- The only exception is when more than a third of legislators vote against a directive, effectively splitting the party.
Note:
- Under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) a political party has a constitutional right to issue a whip to its legislators.
- SC in Kihoto Holohan vs Zachillhu case, 1992 held that the application of the Tenth Schedule is limited to a vote on “motion of confidence” or “no-confidence” in the government or where the motion under consideration relates to a matter which was an integral policy and programme of the political party.
- Paragraph 2(1)(b) provides for a lawmaker’s disqualification “if he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by the political party to which he belongs”.
Source: The Hindu
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