A Letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to provide clean and exemplary governance

23052014

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​National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have written a letter to the Prime Minister designate, Shri Narendra Modi, bringing to his notice the disturbing fact that the newly formed 16^th Lok Sabha has a sizeable number of MPs (112 i.e. 21%) facing serious criminal charges and requesting him to include only clean representatives in his Cabinet.

The steady increase in the number of MPs facing criminal charges over the years is a matter of grave concern to the country. While in Lok Sabha 2004,​ the number of MPs facing criminal charges was 24 per cent, in Lok Sabha 2009 it had increased to 30 per cent, and in the newly elected Lok Sabha 2014, the number has reached the mark of 34 per cent, which is 186 MPs.

In BJP alone, 98 (35%) out of 281 MPs analysed by NEW & ADR have self-declared criminal cases, while​ 63 (22%) have self-declared serious criminal cases like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, dacoity etc (Click here for Detailed Report)​.

Given Shri Modi’s commitment to critically examine MPs with self-declared criminal cases and fast tracking cases against them, which he reiterated during the recent Lok Sabha campaign saying, “the next Parliament would be cleaned by punishing the guilty,”(Reference Links Below) civil society organizations are expecting that the 14^th Prime Minister will provide clean and exemplary governance.  

In the letter sent to the PM-designate (dated 20-05-15), NEW and ADR have made the following requests​​:

1. That MPs with serious criminal cases should not be made Ministers or given chairs of responsibilities in the Parliament such as in Standing Committees, Financial committees etc.
2. That any MP should not be assigned a portfolio in the Cabinet that poses a conflict of interest with his/her business interests.​

​Please find the following documents attached with this mail;

1. Letter sent to the PM designate.
2. List of newly elected MPs who have declared criminal cases against them.​
3. Details of criminal cases declared by newly elected MPs 

Reference Links:

​Link for the TOI report where Shri Modi’s statement on decriminalization of politics is quoted

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Modi-promises-an-end-to-criminalization-of-politics/movie-review/34667368.cms

Video link for the interview where Shri Modi vowed to fast track the cases against newly elected MPs and MLAs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egcsWRkGxNA

Video link for Shri Modi’s election rally where he expressed his view on criminalization of politics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpzAPR_kGg​

​Regards,

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Media and Journalist Helpline +91 80103 94248 Email: adr@adrindia.org

Mr Anil Verma Head National Election Watch, Association for Democratic Reforms 011 4165 4200, +91 88264 79910 adr@adrIndia.org, anilverma@adrindia.org

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar IIM Ahmedabad (Retd.) Founder Member, National Election Watch, Association for Democratic Reforms +91 99996 20944 jchhokar@gmail.com

Prof Trilochan Sastry IIM Bangalore Founder Member, National Election Watch, Association for Democratic Reforms +91 94483 53285 trilochans@iimb.ernet.in

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Association for Democratic Reforms

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