Ensure 100 per cent literacy before fixing minimum qualification for MLAs, MPs: Hooda
Manohar Lal Khattar
He said under present scheme of things such criteria may restrict candidates who otherwise may be equally capable as the educated ones
A day after the Haryana government wrote to Centre to fix minimum qualification for MPs and MLAs for contesting elections, Congress leader Bhupendra Singh Hooda said that before minimum qualification,priority should be set to achieve 100 per cent literacy in the country.
He said "We are living in a democratic set up where less educated or even uneducated have the right to contest. I think before we suggest that minimum qualification criteria be put in place, our first target should be to make the country 100 per cent literate".
He said under present scheme of things such criteria may restrict candidates who otherwise may be equally capable as the educated ones.
The Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday wrote to the central government to fix minimum qualification for MPs and MLAs for contesting elections.
The state government had earlier issued to fix minimum qualification for panchayat elections, which was upheld by the court.
In September 2015, the state assembly had passed a bill for fixing the minimum qualification for contesting elections to Panchayati Raj institutions.