Shiban Khaibri
There seems to be less of any ambiguity in the contention of the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in saying that the Congress Party was determined to stall the reforms process of the economy by creating impediments in the passage of the most sought after, the Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T) Bill. Whether democracy in our own political thinking has really triumphed or not, can be judged by how both the Houses of the Parliament have been adjourned sine die without doing any business. If conclusion of the Monsoon session euphemistically is called as a total washout, it would do some semblance of justice to the end use of the tax payers’ money who finance each minute of the proceedings of each House at the rate of Rs.2.50 lacs. In other words, each day of proceedings costs the Lok Sabha Rs. 9 crores and that of the Rajya Sabha Rs. 6.6 crores. The government is answerable to the Parliament but Parliament is answerable to the people. Has our Parliament been, of late, attempted to be turned into a battle arena of settling political scores , the politically matured Indian nation shall throw light on it but not at the same time, without feeling aghast and frustrated . How many matters of public interest were sincerely debated by those who carried placards and kept on trooping the well and raising high pitched slogans? What benefit did the people derive or how people were “serviced” (seva karna) when paper chips were thrown at the Dy. Speaker in the Lok Sabha and what impression would those countries carry about our Parliamentary culture, which on most of the occasions, has been nothing short of disruptions and even uncalled for behavior, be it pepper spraying, tearing papers, carrying placards, shouting slogans and trooping in the well and shouting and the like. It is really shocking that when a few days back, in the very washed out session, a delegation of the Bhutanese Parliamentarians and other leaders from Bhutan were welcome by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha , the Vice President of the country Shri Hamid Ansari, there was a totally avoidable response of laughter and a sense of according the matter a trivial importance in the upper House when the Chairman said, ” They have come here to gain experience and firsthand knowledge of how our Parliamentary system functions ………” Not only was that, the august House, in their presence itself, emerged replete with shouting and demonstrations. For those protesting and sloganeering, it would look to them as a routine but taking home unfavourable views about our Parliament by the representatives of the world’s youngest democracy from the world’s largest democracy, it is tantamount to a National embarrassment. Is this type of democracy, we are willing to teach our neighbours or at times, cast aspersions on those countries where Parliamentary democracy is not given a full chance to flourish? Again the questions can be put as to whether democratic rights of the Honb’le members mean to put business on hold? If “no work no pay ” is taken as an affront by some Honb’le members, would a new term of “All pay and no work” suffice the point being stressed upon? A pertinent question can be asked as to whether forging a “larger unity “of some opposition Parties against BJP led NDA as prompted by Congress is more important than feeling concerned and working in unity to thwart the threats looming large from within and outside on our sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity? There are unfortunately many questions that not only the corporate Houses (which was not liked by some members) but each and every quarter of our society shall be asking, so much so, that to quote Madam Speaker of the Lok Sabha 44 members cannot “usurp” the right of 440 members and that “It is the murder of democracy”. There could be no other remark, in profound indignation, passed so shockingly but accurately coinciding to the situations created, as these ones, by the respected speaker of the Lok Sabha.
It may be recalled that the GST bill had already been passed by the Lok Sabha and it was referred to Rajya Sabha Select Committee during the last Parliament session and now was slated to have taken a shape of an Act , a law, if the Rajya Sabha would have passed it in the just concluded Monsoon session . Government’s efforts to push through GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha and stalled by the sloganeering Congress members has left no option for the Government to moot a prospect of convening a brief short joint session of the Parliament in the intervening period between the just concluded session and the prospective winter session to pass the GST. It is interesting but disturbing to note that the attempts of the Government to initiate a discussion on the Bill in the RS were met with resistance from some opposition members led by the Congress Party. It is noteworthy that the Bill had received majority support from the members of the select committee of the Rajya sabha endorsing almost all the provisions of the Bill. There was some requirement of reconsidering of the rate of the levy of 1% on inter- state movement of goods. However, the Left Parties and the AIADMK only expressed certain apprehensions in the constitution amendment Bill of the GST in the existing form. It is pertinent to note that this bill was the brainchild of the Congress led UPA2 Government and knowing fully its overall advantages besides streamlining the tax structure, it was going to make manufacturing process a bit cheaper and with spurt in the industrial output was going to give a fillip to the GDP to the extent of 2% and perhaps in order that the credit may not go to the present government to have worked towards consolidation and strengthening of the economy, it was blocked in the RS. It had a direct bearing on the 2019 elections and the Congress tried to do what it did besides to the Land Acquisition Bill which is slated for remaining in running mode via fourth ordinance on or before Sept1, 2015. “You blocked the Parliament then , We will block it now and more forcefully” and then the most cherished “Your failures are prospects of my success” appears to be taking a centre stage which was manifest in not allowing this prominent Bill to get passed in the Rajya Sabha. Finance Minister, seeing the apple cart of the GST becoming a reality, getting upset, was prompt in accusing the Congress to stalling the Bill by saying that “The Congress was in self destructive mode as it does not want economic growth of the country to take place.”
It does not augur well for the country’s economic health as the Government had intended to roll out the single rate GST uniformly from April 2016 to not only eliminate VAT, luxury tax, excise, service tax, entry tax and other local taxes but achieve the “feat” of having brought about the biggest reform in the indirect taxation system in the country since independence. The states stood enormously benefitted as the centre would give 100 % compensation of the GST for the first three years of the GST implementation and thereafter 75% and 50% for the fourth and the fifth years respectively. All states have equitable share in the revenues under the GST. This time the alibi was “Lalitgate” which was blasted by the reply by Sushma Swaraj with special deciphering of “quid pro quo” followed by very eloquently, technically and legally by Arun Jaitley on 12th instant, so much so, that the Congress charge was blunted. However hypothetically if “Lalitgate” was behind the current disruptions, what was there during budget session when the GST bill was to be passed, even then the Congress had boycotted it when Lalitgate, Vyapum or Vasundra Raje issues were not there. One can draw enough inferences.
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