Bangalore, Sept 10: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today sought the support of congress to the NDA government's proposal to give more teeth to the anti-defection laws in order to eradicate the menace of defection. Addressing a gathering at the "Nava Yuva Samavesha" organised by the Karnataka unit BJP at the National College Grounds here, Advani said the intention of the government was to enact laws to make defections a crime.

The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to amend the anti-defection law and it was before the parliamentary standing committee now. Advani said law should provide for punishment to whoever defects from one party to another.

He said under the existing provisions of the anti-defection law, an individual defector attracted the law while a section which forms one-third of the strength of the party from which they defect go scot free.


Advani said the cabinet has also decided to set a ceiling on the strength of ministries in states and also at the Centre to ensure that it did not exceed 10 per cent of the strength of legislatures and Parliament. Outlining the reasons that prompted the government to put a cap on the strength of ministries, he said in one of the north-eastern states 56 legislators out of 58 were made ministers and another became the speaker of the assembly.

He said such tendencies have to be curbed and mentioned several electoral reforms the government had initiated in recent times.

Bureau Report