Haryana government's decision to make education must for panchayat candidates has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The law mandates that minimum educational qualification to stand for panchayat polls is class 10 pass for men, class 8 pass for women & Dalit men and class 5 pass for Dalit women. As a result, over 50 per cent of women can't stand up for panchayat elections. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dared the Congress, protesting this rule, to give 30 per cent tickets to illiterate candidates in the upcoming polls. On We The People, we debate: Should politicians running for office have a mandatory and minimum educational qualification? Is Haryana panchayat law discriminatory or does education make for better politicians? If candidates for local elections must have educational cutoffs, why not start with Parliament?
