BJP for compulsory voting; calls for national discussion

The Gujarat Assembly had on Saturday adopted a bill to make voting compulsory in the local body polls. The Congress and the Left parties had opposed it, saying citizens cannot be forced to vote.

Describing the bill as "innovative and useful," senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the modalities of experimenting it in other states should be discussed.
"Let there be a national debate and experiment of the Gujarat model of compulsory voting. The Congress and Left parties are opposing the bill without applying their minds to oppose Gujarat Chief Minister Modi," he told reporters here.
He said the right of citizens should be accompanied by responsibility, and voting is "both a right and responsibility."
On "skyrocketing" prices of essential commodities, he attacked the pricing and taxation policies of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. The fuel price hike after the Lok Sabha polls has spurred inflation and prices, he said.

The BJP would soon stage protests against price rise and the government's "ineffectiveness" in tackling it.
On the Telangana issue, he requested the protestors to withdraw their hunger strike as "every life is important," and called for political discussions to end the stalemate.