New Delhi: Hitting out at the term "party discipline", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan on March 1 favoured politicians being allowed to hold independent views on issues while limiting party whip to the Budget and confidence vote in Parliament.

"Party discipline is killing the spirit of true Parliamentary traditions. Sometimes, members cutting across party lines feel strongly about an issue, but are strait- jacketed due to specific instructions by the party," he said at the India today conclave.

The BJP general secretary and former Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the party whips issued to Members of Parliament (MPs) should only be in matters relating to the Budget and confidence vote.

Resenting that the Indian voters were faced with the "Hobson's choice", he said they had no say in choosing candidates for an election and had to be content with the names appearing on the ballot paper, which has a bearing on Indian Democracy.

Taking jibes on the bureaucracy, Mahajan described it as a "permanent unelected" government, saying "Once you get into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and score one mark more in your entrance, your passage to the post of cabinet secretary is assured no matter how you perform through the entire service span."

He hailed India as a "global giant" as far as Democracy is concerned and stressed on the need for a "pro-active" system, where citizens go beyond "mere voting" and where "quality" of politicians is not taken for granted.

PTI