Punjab followed suit , abolishing its Legislative Council later that year .
However , having or not having a Legislative Council has now become a political issue . Some argue that it can accommodate individuals and people of eminence who do not like to contest Assembly polls , exactly as Mamata Banerjee says . They believe that it can act as a watchdog and keep a check on hasty decisions . Those against say that it is a burden on the exchequer and it is normally used to rehabilitate politicians .
The Andhra Pradesh Assembly has passed a resolution seeking to abolish the council in 2020 . The council was the first set up in 1958 .
Then the TDP chief minister N . T . Rama Rao got it abolished in 1985 . The Congress chief minister Dr Y . S . Rajashekar Reddy revived it in 2007 . Last year , the Council dominated by the TDP referred three Capital Bills to a Select Committee , which provoked the current chief minister Y . S . Jagan Mohan Reddy into taking measures to abolish the council .
Creating or abolishing a Council has been a contentious issue for the last four decades in Tamil Nadu . The M . G . Ramachandran government in 1986 abolished the council to block the entry of the DMK chief M . Karunanidhi . Since then , DMK has made attempts to re-establish the Council , and AIADMK has opposed such moves . Now that the DMK is back in power revival of the council is on the cards .
The Congress in Madya Pradesh had passed a resolution in 1967 in the Vidhan Sabha but the resolution did not get the approval of the Centre . In 1993 and 2018 also the party promised a bicameral legislature but could not fulfil its poll promise .
The debate on the relevance of the council continues in political circles . B R Ambedkar argued in the Constituent Assembly comparing it to the curate ' s egggood only in parts .
The Odisha Assembly recently passed a resolution for a Legislative Council . Proposals to create Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in Parliament .
The debate on the relevance of the council continues in political circles . B R Ambedkar argued in the Constituent Assembly comparing it to the curate ' s egg-good only in parts . The US ' Senatorial saucer ' is also often cited . The story goes that when the then US President George Washington hosted a breakfast meeting with Thomas Jefferson who was against the senate , " Why ," asked Washington , " did you just now pour that coffee into your saucer , before drinking ?"
" To cool it ," answered Jefferson , " My throat is not made of brass ." " Even so ," re-joined Washington , " we pour our legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it ," resting his case .
Councils have also played a constructive role on occasion .
A deep study to find out the role of the council in enhancing the legislature process needs to be taken up . But creation or abolition of Councils should not become a frivolous decision based on the whims and fancies of the egoistic leaders and political parties . A parliamentary standing committee has suggested framing a national policy but it may not be the best way forward . Given these circumstances , it will be prudent to leave it to the states .
( The author is a senior journalist and political commentator . The views expressed are personal .)
www . legacyindia . in June 2021 | Legacy India 17