Chandigarh, Feb 10 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Wednesday that money and muscle power were affecting the democratic system in India.
“Although India has presented a successful model of parliamentary democracy, recent trends in our system were a cause for worry,” Badal said on the opening day of the 15th All India Whips Conference here.

“There is a widespread feeling that money and muscle power had started playing a part in our democracy,” he added.

Speakers voiced concern about such incidents in legislatures including parliament. Some said that the role and responsibility of the party whips had increased owing to this.

In his inaugural address, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil said the whips “were the radars which guided the ship of legislative parties in the choppy waters of legislative activities and proceedings”.

Badal underlined the need for regular consultations between the whips of the treasury and opposition benches.

He lamented that proceedings in the houses were not always healthy and members wasted precious time by indulging in undesirable conduct.

Commenting on the frequent disorders in legislatures, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan attributed these to “overwhelming eagerness on the part of some members to ventilate their grievances in a way that totally disregarded all the procedures laid down in the rules”.