Whip in Indian Political System

Whip is general term that refers to a number of different things depending on the context. It can refer to a tool used for whipping or flogging, a type of aerobatic maneuver performed by aircraft, or the action of whipping or flicking a horse to make it move faster. It can also refer to an action of whipping cream, or a whip as an elected member of a legislative body who helps to maintain party discipline.

What is Meaning of Whip in Indian Political System?

In the Indian political system, a whip is an elected member of a legislative body (such as the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha) who is appointed by a political party to ensure that its members vote according to the party's position on a particular issue. Such elected member acting as whip, is responsible for maintaining party discipline and ensuring that the party's legislators vote as a cohesive bloc on important issues. The whip is also responsible for relaying the party's position on a bill or motion to the party's legislators and for keeping the party's leadership informed of the views and concerns of the legislators.

Secondly, in India, a formal written order is also called as whip, which is issued for crucial voting as per the rules of the Indian Parliament, the whip has the power to ensure that all members of the party attend the session and vote as per the party's directive.

Likewise, a "whip" is a formal instruction issued by a political party to its members, demanding they vote in a specific manner or be present for a critical vote. The term is derived from the old British practise of "whipping in" MPs to the party line.

Under the Tenth Schedule, a political party has the constitutional ability to whip its MPs (anti-defection law)

The position of "whip" is not defined in the Indian Constitution, House Rules, or legislative legislation. It is founded on the conventions of parliamentary government.

The State High Court ordered the Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to maintain the status quo in the disqualification procedures begun against expelled MLAs after the anti-defection statute, but the Congress' top whip has challenged that ruling in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court stated decisively in the Kihoto Hollohan 1992 case that courts should not become engaged in disqualification proceedings until the Speaker reaches a final determination. The Supreme Court determined that the application of the Tenth Schedule is limited to a vote of "no confidence" in the administration.

Types of Whips

As such there is no characteristically defined criteria to classify whip; or in other words, it is conditional and in different legislatures, it has different classification. The common types of whips are:

• A one-line whip is used to notify members of a vote. It does not, however, compel members to vote in accordance with the views of the party.

• A two-line whip requires members to be present in the House when voting.

• The three-line whip issued to the members to ensure their presence in the House during voting on important issues or bills.

Some other types of whips are

• Whips of Recognition − Issued to the members of the legislative body to inform them of the business of the House, such as the introduction of a bill or a motion.

• Whips of Direction − Issued to the members to direct them to vote in a particular way on a bill or motion.

• Whips of Pair − Issued to the members who are unable to attend the House to vote, so that their absence is paired with an absent member of the opposing party.

• Whips of Suspension − Issued to the members to inform them of the suspension of the rules of the House for the purpose of taking up a particular item of business.

• Whips of Count − Issued to the members to ensure that the party's strength is counted during voting.

Functions of the Whip

The party's chief whip plays an important role in parliamentary democracy. The whip keeps the party together while also ensuring that the house's business runs smoothly and efficiently. The whip's primary functions are as follows:

• Maintaining Party Discipline − The whip is accountable for ensuring that the members of the party vote according to the party's position on a particular issue.

• Imparting Party Positions − The whip is accountable for conveying the party's position on a bill or motion to the party's legislators and for keeping the party's leadership informed of the views and concerns of the legislators.

• Coordinating Party Strategy− The whip works with the party's leadership to coordinate the party's strategy on a particular issue or bill.

• Ensuring Attendance − The whip is accountable for ensuring that all members of the party attend the session and vote as per the party's directive.

• Pairing − The whip is accountable for pairing absent members of the party with absent members of the opposing party.

• Counting Party Strength − The whip is accountable for ensuring that the party's strength is counted during voting.

• Assisting in Legislative Process − The whip also assists in the legislative process by keeping track of legislative calendar and ensuring that the party members are ready for the legislative business and also ensuring that the legislative agenda is in line with the party's manifesto.

• Representing Party in the House − The whip also acts as the representative of the party in the House, and takes part in the legislative proceedings and debates.

• Endorsing Party's Leadership − The whip also advises the party's leadership on matters related to the functioning of the legislative body and the welfare of the party's legislators.

The Chief Whip of the Government of India is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. He is also aided by assistant whips. There are also regional whips who communicate with state party members.

Importance of Whips

Whips play an important role in the Indian political system, as they assist to ensure that the members of respective political party vote according to the party's position on a particular issue. They also assist to maintain party discipline and ensure that the party's legislators vote as a cohesive bloc on important issues.

However, some of the key importance of whips in Indian politics include:

• Maintaining Unity of the Party − Whips help to ensure that the members of a political party vote as a cohesive bloc, which helps to maintain party unity and prevent divisions within the party.

• Influencing Legislative Outcomes − Whips play a crucial role in determining the outcome of legislative votes by ensuring that party members vote according to the party's position.

• Facilitating Policy Making − Whips assist to facilitate policy making by relaying the party's position on a bill or motion to the party's legislators and by keeping the party's leadership informed of the views and concerns of the legislators.

• Representing Party's Views − Whips act as the representative of the party in the legislative body and take part in the legislative proceedings and debates, thus representing party's views and opinions.

• Advising Party's Leadership − The whip also advises the party's leadership on matters related to the functioning of the legislative body and the welfare of the party's legislators.

Issues of Whips

Major issues are

• Infringement on Individual Rights − Unnecessary use of whips can be seen as an infringement on the individual rights of party members, as they are expected to vote according to the party's position rather than their own beliefs or conscience.

• Lack of Representation − In some cases, whips may not fully represent the views and concerns of the party's legislators or the general public, leading to a lack of representation in the legislative process.

• Rigid Party Discipline − The use of whips can lead to rigid party discipline, which can stifle debate and prevent members from openly expressing their views or dissenting from the party's position.

• Lack of Transparency − The use of whips can also be seen as a lack of transparency in the legislative process, as the public may not be aware of the party's position on a particular issue or the reasoning behind a particular vote.

• Ineffective Whip − In cases where the whip is not capable enough to effectively communicate the party's position or issues related to legislators and not able to get the support for the party's position, it can lead to ineffective whip and lack of party discipline.

• Lack of Active Participation by Members − Because of the whip system and the anti-defection provision, MPs on the House floor are reduced to a mere headcount, resulting in a proclivity to develop "forced agreements" on certain themes and legislation.

• Demotivating to Members − The fear of losing their seats discourages party members from voicing alternative viewpoints during debates, and it has been observed that regardless of how excellent or horrible a piece of legislation is, members will support or oppose it exclusively on party lines.

Conclusion

The whip is thus a person whose authority is not based on the Constitution or House Rules but rather on tradition. Because of indiscipline among party members in the parliament, the post of whip has grown in importance in recent years. A whip may both ensure the smooth operation of Parliament and boost its efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Who is the whip in the Indian Parliament?

Ans. The whips are simply defined as the managers of the parties within the parliament. Both the ruling and opposition parties nominate whips, and certain responsibilities are shared by all whips.

Q2. What is the meaning of "whip" in the Constitution?

Ans. A whip is a political party official whose job it is to maintain party discipline in a legislature. This entails ensuring that party members vote in accordance with the party programme rather than their own personal ideologies or the wishes of their funders or constituency.