Proportional representation in parliament: Congress accuses Karunanidhi of creating 'new controversy'

The Congress on Tuesday accused DMK president M Karunanidhi of creating a "new controversy" by calling for Proportional Representation in Parliament, saying its implications include, among others, an "unstable government" at the Centre.

Veteran state Congress leader and former Union Minister SR Balasubramanian said such a proposal may seem to work out "outwardly" but actually won't fit in India since it was a "multi-faceted" country. "The Indian constitution was implemented with the intention of ensuring no harm was made to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country. On that basis, elections are held," he said in a TNCC statement here.

While all sections of the people have to be represented, there was no guarantee that there would be a representative under Proportional Representation for all. In some of the constituencies, the voter strength was less than a lakh and there would be a situation where even some states would lack representatives under this system, he claimed.

"If the votes share in the present elections are taken into account, BJP (31%) will get 180 seats only. No party will get single majority and there has to be a multi-party rule. Such a rule could be unstable," Balasubramanian, whose party led two successive coalition governments since 2004, said.

The first call for Proportional Representation was made in 1971 after elections when Congress managed to secure a strong victory despite a mega alliance of opposition parties, he said, adding that the idea, however, lost steam when it became clear that it was not practical. "The DMK president has created a new controversy and paved the way for a debate," he said.