SORRY MR VICE PRESIDENT & MR/Ms GOVERNORS THE TAX PAYER CANNOT AFFORD YOU

VICE PRESIDENT.

       The constitution framing members wanted to give us an ideal frame work of governance and in their exuberance adopted the American model of vice president and superimposed it on our parliamentary model of functioning.

       The first question that arises is ‘Do we really need a VP?’ In whatever way we may look at the issue and try and apply whatever logic the answer would be a firm NO. As per the constitution the Vice President (VP) is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha and officiates as the President when the later is away from office for whatsoever reason, i.e. on tours, sickness, removal, resignation or death. The Rajya Sabha can definitely elect its own chairperson just as other elected bodies do. As regards officiating for the President temporarily, do we actually need a Vice President in waiting to officiate for a symbolic head of state? The constitution stipulates that in case the President is away the VP will officiate and if he is also not available than the speaker of the Lok Sabha – Chief Justice of India – followed by all Supreme Court judges in order of their seniority will officiate as the President in case the need arises. Hence their just does not appear to be any sanctity to the office of the Vice President.

          The Vice President is housed in a magnificent palatial bungalow and has a staff of 56 people (as per the official web site) to take care of his official and personal requirements. The staff does not include the maintenance staff of the municipal corporation, the security staff and other fringe staff who are there to ensure that the VVIP is well cared for. In addition being the second citizen of India he has personal planes to fly him around. On relinquishing office he will be provided with support staff and an official residence at New Delhi and if he so wishes another at his home town/ state capital besides the pension, medical care, security cover for self and family, as also expenses borne by the tax payer for travels within and out side the country etc for life for himself and the family. The Vice President is an expensive person to have around and the tax payer can well do without this august functionary who costs the tax-payer crores of Rupees. As was concluded above the VP is definitely not required and the office should be abolished.

GOVERNORS

              There are twenty nine Governors and seven Lieutenant Governors who perform purely ceremonial functions and are the symbolic head of the states leading a lavish life style at the poor tax payer’s expense. Each of these luminaries is housed in palatial estates which cost a small fortune to maintain and keep them in ship shape so that Their Excellencies are delighted with the surroundings. To add to the woes of the tax payer the security environment demands that the VVIPs are given extensive security cover for which at least one company (100 plus) of security personnel are deployed to guard the Raj Bhavans besides the police force deployed on the roads leading to the Raj Bhavan . All that adds up to a colossal amount of money being spent to keep the Governors in luxury and unharmed. The plight of the tax payer does not end there. There is a sizeable personnel staff to run the office and the house keeping besides expenses incurred for tours/travels, medical and post retirement benefits which are all paid for by the over burdened tax payer.

            There is no denying that in our parliamentary system there is a requirement of a titular head of state at the State level just as the President is there at the national level. The office of Governor has been trivialized by placing derelict politicians in the regal Raj Bhavans. The Raj Bhavans are also playing host to inconvenient politicians who need to be put away to pasture and are kicked upstairs to the Raj Bhavans as also tainted and incompetent ministers who need to be sidelined and kept away from public gaze temporally and in some cases permanently. The Raj Bhavans are also the rewards for docile and submissive bureaucrats and defense officers who have obediently toed the politician’s line and are privy to the inside games that they play.

ZONAL GOVERNORS

        The tax payer is paying hundreds of crores to keep these symbolic heads of States in office. Is there really a need to have so many Governors? Why don’t we consider having Zonal Governors i.e. divide the country into four/five zones and have one Governor for each zone? The zonal governor would be responsible for over seeing the affairs of the states and union territories placed under him/her. If and when the need arise for imposing President’s rule in any state an administrator/s could be appointed for the purpose and they would report to the Zonal Governor. This simple solution would save the tax payer thousands of crores. Further Raj Bhavans rendered thus surplus can be leased out to the hospitality business and lo and behold the tax payer’s burden on this account would just disappear and in all probability generate a healthy surplus.

          It is about time that we examined the above proposal rationally and do away with the wasteful expenditure ( not only for maintaining the surviving Governors but also horde of retired luminaries who are enjoying lavish post retirement at the tax payers expense. If we go in for just four/five Governors , with time the number of retired governors the tax payer will have to maintain would reduce drastically)  that is just being incurred to keep politicians of various shades happy at the poor tax payer’s expense. The proposal is likely to be scuttled by using the often repeated excuse of requiring constitutional amendment. The constitution has been amended well over hundred times, two more amendments which will benefit the citizens no end would be more than welcomed by the founding fathers and they definitely would not turn in their graves. The tax payer’s burden would be reduced by thousands of crores and the nation would more than welcome the rationalization. The powers that be would do great service to the nation if they looked beyond their own petty gains and instead gave a thought for the good of BHATAT MATA and the hapless taxpayer i.e. the aam aadmi whom they have been fooling for over six decades.

                                                                                          Surender Singh