NEW DELHI: In the midst of a heated political debate over
scrapping of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes , PM
Narendra Modi has suggested
state funding of polls
, along with simultaneous Lok Sabha and
assembly elections
, to improve transparency in public life and combat corruption.
Poll: Is PM Modi's idea of state funding of elections feasible?The PM told an all-party meeting on Tuesday that he hoped a discussion in Parliament on demonetisation would send out a "positive message" that the political class was capable of acting for the good of the people rather than conveying a negative message.
The PM's comments found the support of Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandopadhyay, who said he had raised the same point just ahead of Modi joining the all-party deliberations. The PM said he hoped the issue would be fully debated.
The PM's move to bring up state funding at a time when the decision to scrap old currency is being bitterly debated is seen as a step to push the transparency agenda, as elections and political parties are closely associated with
black money .
Though not a new idea, Modi's pitch that state funding, along with simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, will curb poll expenditure and make the process cleaner seems a bid to link demonetisation with wider political reforms.
Collection of unaccounted money by leaders and parties has often been cited as the root of political corruption as it leads to post-election favours being granted to poll financiers. State funding has been touted as a possible antidote.
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