NEW DELHI, Jan 8:
The Budget session of Parliament likely to commence in third week of February, appears set to be a stormy affair, with both the government and the Opposition toughening their stands on the issue of ordinances.
While Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has dismissed Opposition attack on the government on the issue as “empty bullets,” Congress retaliated saying his remarks were “uncalled for” and that the “Government cannot expect Parliament to rubber stamp all its decisions”.
“The statement of the Parliamentary Affairs Minister is unwarranted. It is reflective of the confrontationist mind of the BJP and the Government vis-a-vis Opposition.
“We do not want a deadlock in Parliament but Government cannot expect Parliament to rubberstamp all its decisions and ordinance route to legislate,” Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said.
His remarks came a day after Naidu rejected the “Ordinance Raj” charge by the Opposition and asserted that the government will have its “way” and Opposition its “say” in the Budget Session downplaying the criticism of these parties.
“There is no charge. We will discharge it. Who said this is Ordinance Raj? Obstruction Raj cannot be a substitute to democracy,” the Minister said blaming the Opposition for the washout of the Winter session especially in Rajya Sabha.
While the last session saw almost a washout of legislative business in the Upper House, indications from the Opposition is that it will make a big issue of the ordinances in the Budget session.
Accusing the government of bringing an Ordinance Raj, Opposition parties have resolved to oppose the Government bringing at least eight ordinances in its last seven-month tenure.
The protest is all the more pronounced on the recent ordinance on land acquisition act with Congress and other parties slamming the move as “anti-farmer” and aimed at “bypassing Parliament”.
Youth Congress had held an agitation against it on Monday while Janata Parivar offshoots Samajwadi Party, JD(U), RJD, JDS and others have already decided to launch a joint agitation against the ordinances on land, coal and mines.
Sources in the Government indicated that it may question the Opposition parties from UPA including Congress and others on why did their government in last two terms brought with a list of 61 ordinances.
The Government will also seek to puncture the Opposition’s protest on the ordinance citing suggestions from Chief Ministers from the Opposition-ruled states to make changes in the existing land law.
“I can give you a list of ordinances that the Congress-led government had brought. And now they are questioning us,” Naidu said.
UPA brought eight ordinances in 2004, four in 2005, three in 2006, eight in 2007, eight in 2008, nine in 2009, four in 2010, three in 2011, one in 2012, 11 in 2013 and two in 2014.
Sources in Congress claim that the government’s counter will not hold water as most of ordinances brought during the UPA were not so significant issues barring a few including on the convicted law makers, which could not see the light of the day due to a sudden protest to it by its Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.
Rejecting Naidu’s charge that Opposition parties including Congress did not allow taking up of Parliamentary business, Sharma said that the logjam in the House was due to “obduracy” of the Prime Minister and the Government and “not due to any issue on discussing or passage of any legislation”.
Sharma also voiced his party’s opposition to the Ordinance on the land bill insisting that “we will examine it.
This is not something that can be done in this manner. We have strong reservations to the manner in which it was done.
“BJP government should have consulted the states and the Opposition before deciding on any change like we had done we had passed the bill. Looking to step up its opposition to the controversial ordinance amending the Land Acquisition Act, Congress had also held a meeting of party general secretaries here on Monday to chalk out plans for a nationwide agitation for painting the government as ‘anti-farmer’. The plan is to corner the government on this issue from “Sansad to Sadak” (in streets as well as in Parliament).
Asked about the Opposition’s plans to corner the government on land bill in Parliament during the budget session, Naidu has said, “these are Parliamentary dynamics. One has to face them. This government has the mandate. I am sure that the government will have its way and Opposition will have its say in the Budget session.”
He also said that the government has no intention to bypass Parliament as Ordinances will have to eventually get Parliament’s nod and asserted that Asserting that the ordinances were brought in public interest, Naidu said, adding, the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre has done nothing new.
There is a buzz that the government may even call a joint session of Parliament to pass key bills while it has more than majority in Lok Sabha, while it is in minority in Rajya Sabha.
The government has six weeks time from the day the Parliament meets next to get approval for the recently- promulgated Ordinances, including that for easing of land acquisition norms and insurance law hiking foreign investment cap. (PTI)
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