WHIP Full Form
What is the full form of WHIP?
The word whip in its parliamentary context, derived from its origins in hunting terminology. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term 'whipper-in' is defined as , "an assistant of a huntsman who keeps the hounds away from straying by driving them back with a whip". According to the Oxford Dictionary, the first use of term whipper-in in the parliamentary sense.
A whip is an official of the political party. The work of the whip is to ensure party discipline in the legislature, which means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform. Whips are the enforcers of the party. Whips try to ensure that their fellow political party legislators surely attend the sessions of voting and vote according to the official policy of the party issued by the legislatures. The members who voted against the party's policy may lose the whip. The context of such summonses to members that are out of town is that the first known Parliamentary instance of the use of the term "whip" occurred.
Whip in India
The Supreme Court said that the protestant legislators of Karnataka cannot be forced to take part in the occurring assembly sessions. This is against the orders of the Supreme Court on the anti-defection law. According to the Tenth Schedule i.e. anti-defection law, a political party has the constitutional rights to issue a whip for legislators of the party. The Supreme Court in the case of Kihoto Holohan vs Zachillhu, In 1992 held that the application of the anti-defection law or tenth Schedule is limited to vote on “no-confidence” in the government.
The paragraph 2(1)(b) provides for the disqualification of a lawmaker “if abstains from voting in such a House contrary to any rule made by the political party to which he belongs”. The word ‘whip’ is taken from the British parliamentary procedure of ordering the legislators of both the ruling and the opposition parties to follow party lines. A whip is a directive from the political party that binds the members of the political party in a House to obey the rules issued by that political party. The concept of whip in India is a piece of the concept of British colonial rule. Most of the political parties appoint a whip for the party whose job is to maintain discipline among all the members of that party at the floor of the House.
Though the concept of the whip has not any official sanction and it is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution of India yet it is an agreement that is followed in the Indian Parliament. Any political party which finds representation in the House can be able to have a whip, without its strength in that chamber of House. There are some cases when the whip is non-applicable. At that time of the presidential elections, the whip cannot be able to direct a member of legislative assembly or a member of Parliament to vote on any particular. The chief whip is a Member of Parliament (MP) which is chosen from the political party in power and also from that political party which sits in the opposition. The whip is an important office-bearer of a political party in the House.
Types of Whips
There are three types of the whip that are explained below :
1. One-line whip:
One line whip is issued to instruct the members about a vote. In case a member chose not to follow the party rules, one line whip allows the member to retain.
2. Two-line whip:
Two line whip is issued to manage the members to be present in the House at the time of voting but no instructions are given on the pattern of voting.
3. Three-line whip:
Three line whip is issued to the members supervising them to vote as per the party rules.
Functions of Whip
The chief whip of the party has an extremely important role to play in parliamentary democracy. The work of the whip is to keep the members of the party together and also maintain smooth and well organized functioning of the business of the House. The main functions of the whip are as follows :
To maintain discipline among the members of the party in the House of parliament.
To maintain the attendance of the members of the party.
To make sure the members of parliament (MPs) vote according to the rule issued by the party.
To check that the MPs are enlightened of the opinion of the party on the moods of the members.
To recognize the signs of discontent among the members of parliament (MPs) and inform the same to their respective leaders.
To provide the list of speakers on Bills in the House.
The whip is responsible for maintaining the internal party system in the Parliament and works as a binding force between the members in the party.
He or she acts as an instructor to the members of the party in the House and also acts as an advisor to the leaders of the party.
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in India, performs the Chief Whip of the Government. He is also approved by assistant whips.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The term 'whip' was taken from a fox hunting expression "whipper-in". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first noted use of the word whipper-in in the parliamentary basis was in 1772.
The two line whip manages the members that are present in the house during voting but cannot instruct them on voting patterns whereas the three line whip directs the members to vote as per the party lines.
Among the three types of whips, the three line whip is the most powerful whip in the house of parliament .
An Indian politician Arjun Ram Meghwal is the current whip of the Lok Sabha. He also worked as the Chief Whip. He is a member of the well known political party Bharatiya Janata Party.
If a member of parliament (MP) breaches the whip of his party then he or she is removed from the House of Parliament under the law of tenth schedule i.e. Anti Defection Law. A three line whip can be breached if one-third of the party members of the House choose to vote opposed to the party principles.