Addressing mediapersons in Thrissur, Ravi said the rights vested with the speaker under the act to disqualify legislators was 'vague' in nature. A national debate should be initiated on this issue, he added.
According to Ravi, the existing Anti-Defection Act should be suitably amended to specify the right of the speaker to disqualify legislators, to avoid situations like the one that was witnessed in the Karnataka assembly. He described as 'most unfortunate' the Karnataka assembly speaker's action of disqualifying 16 legislators without giving them a chance to vote. It was improper on the part of the speaker to disqualify legislators before they voted against their party directions on the floor of the House.
To a question, Ravi said the Congress had not interfered in the ''murky affairs' of Karnataka politics.
On the local body polls in Kerala, Ravi alleged that the Communist Party of India-Marxist was toeing a soft-Hindutva line to appease majority communalist forces for getting a few votes. The CPI-M leaders' criticism of the Catholic church was aimed at wooing Hindu votes, he said.
