Janata Party and the Constitutional Amendments

November 5-12, 1977 Janata Party and the Constitutional Amendments T R Andhyarujina THE executive of the Janata parliamentary party has now made public its proposals for the "comprehensive bill" to amend the Constitution. It is now clear that the Janata party does not want to scrap the amendments as a whole as the evil work of a gagged Parliament during the Emergency, The party's proposals suggest that the 42nd Amendment and the 38th Amendment are like the curate's egg, good and bad in parts, and the amendments should be selectively considered on their merits. The approach is pragmatic. The authoritarian or undemocratic characteristics of the amendments are to be weeded out while those which are considered desirable or unexceptionable are to be retained. This approach seems not only the result of a deeper study by more informed minds than those who drafted the election manifesto but appears also to be dictated by the necessity of carrying the Congress party with the proposals as the latter's support in the Rajya Sabha is vital if the proposals are to be carried through Parliament. Whatever be the reasons, no one can seriously quarrel with this approach so long as the proposals meet with the proclaimed declarations of the party to rid the Constitution of the anti-democratic features introduced by the amendments.