Hyderabad: BRS senior leader and ex-MP B Vinod Kumar said the 10th schedule of the Constitution should be amended immediately by fixing a statutory limit to decide the disqualification petitions within three months. He said if the decisions on defection continue to remain pending for years, the very purpose of the anti-defection law would be undermined.“There should be no scope for keeping disqualification petitions pending indefinitely. An effective mechanism should be established so that the law does not become ineffective if a decision is not taken within the prescribed time. The 10th Schedule should be strengthened so that elected representatives cannot undermine the mandate of the people by switching parties after elections,” the ex-MP said.In a case concerning Manipur, Supreme Court observed that, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, three months would ordinarily be a reasonable period for deciding disqualification petitions under the 10th schedule, he said.He stated that the latest report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Sept 24 has once again brought out the seriousness of the politics of defections. ADR revealed that 111 elected representatives who won elections between 2022 and 2026 switched political parties. They include 26 Lok Sabha MPs, seven Rajya Sabha MPs and 78 MLAs.“According to ADR, the highest number among the 111 elected representatives who switched parties moved into the BJP and its allied parties — NPF, NCP, Shiv Sena, NPP and PPA. BJP leaders N Ramchander Rao and Bandi Sanjay should first go through the political history of the country and review their own party record on defection before criticising the BRS,” Vinod Kumar said.If BJP leaders are genuinely serious about ending defections, central govt should introduce a bill to amend the 10th schedule in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, the ex-MP added.
