Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the “frequent” party-hopping by political leaders was a “disturbing trend” and called for strengthening the anti-defection law.
Speaking at a function at his residence here after receiving the Padma award, Naidu said announcing “freebies” during elections without listing out funds mobilisation is an unhealthy trend which should be discouraged and people should question the leaders and parties making such lofty promises. Naidu was awarded the Padma Vibhushan award on Monday evening by President Droupadi Murmu at a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan. “Defections are being encouraged. We should strengthen the anti-defection law,” he asserted. “Now, the worry is that there is a fall in the standards in public life. In political parties, people often change their parties. The latest trend is people are in one party in the morning and join another party in the evening and then they criticise your leader and say things left and right. Some of them are favoured with tickets also.
“This is a very disturbing trend and people should avoid it. People should work at parties and prove their credentials. If anybody wants to change parties, one should resign from the post given by that party and then only join another party. One can understand making accusations, but what is happening is not accusing but abusing,” Naidu said.
He said another unhealthy trend is that people are making promises left and right, without considering where the money will come from, as there is no money.
“Political parties must come out with a manifesto and secondly, should come out with schemes supported by the financial health of the state and third, how they are going to mobilise resources and then whatever they want to spend,” the former vice president said.
He wondered how it was possible to give everything for free as “money does not come from trees”. But then some of the leaders and parties are making promises left and right even when the financial health of the state is weak, he observed.
