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Govt forms 11-member committee to review Constitution

The Union government today set up an 11-member committee to undertake a review of the Constitution.

The commission will have a chairperson, nine members and one member-secretary, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan announced after a cabinet meeting this evening.

The names of the members of the commission have not yet been finalised.

The government is going ahead with the review of the Constitution notwithstanding serious reservations expressed by President K R Narayanan and some opposition parties.

The President in his address to the special session of Parliament on January 26, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Republic, had questioned the necessity of reviewing the Constitution when there was scope for amendments.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, however, defended the move saying that the Constitution required a re-look in the context of fast changing economic scenario and other aspects in the light of the country's experience over the last 50 years.

Congress spokesman, Ajit Jogi, regretted the government's announcement pertaining to the setting up of the 11-member commission. He said he would study the Constitution before giving a detailed response.

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