New Delhi: Despite their diminishing strength, opposition parties are likely to give a tough time to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha starting Monday.
There were enough indications of it during the first all party meeting called by the Modi government Sunday, which was attended by the Prime Minister among others. Opposition parties including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), DMK, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Left parties attended the meeting.
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien and his colleague from Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, raised the issue of the Centre “deliberately targeting states”, and urged the Modi government to “stop interfering” in state matters. This comes in the backdrop of escalating violence in West Bengal and a bitter political confrontation between the TMC-led West Bengal government and the BJP-led Centre.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the CPI’s D Raja also raised the issue of federalism in the meeting. Sources said Azad raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and said that it’s wasn’t just a law and order problem. “Azad said that Kashmir is a political problem and the government should come out with a political solution,” a senior leader who attended the meeting told ThePrint.
Raja also raised the issue of Centre “unilaterally taking decisions” on many issues. “In the Constitution many subjects are in the concurrent list such as education,” Raja told ThePrint. “But the Centre takes unilateral decision, which is not correct. Take for instance the National Education Policy, which the Centre is pushing.”
On Opposition agenda, poll reforms, women’s reservation bill
Opposition leaders said they will raise the issue of electoral reforms in this session. Senior TMC leaders including O’Brien said that they will push for paper ballots.
The Congress, TMC and the CPI are expected to press for the passage of the women’s reservation bill in the current session.
Besides, the TMC is also going to raise the issue of the government pushing ordinances. “In the spirit of the Constitution, this should be done only as an ‘emergency’ tool. Unfortunately, in the 16th Lok Sabha it was blatantly over used,” Bandyopadhyay said. “The house saw the highest percentage of ordinances in 70 years.”
But by and large, the opposition parties are in a state of disarray.
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The Congress, which is the main opposition party with 52 members is yet to announce its leader of the house in the Lok Sabha. So far, the opposition parties have not even met to discuss floor coordination among their members.
The Parliament session, which will conclude on 26 July, will see important legislative business being taken up including the presentation of the budget on 5 July.
Work cohesively with government: PM
Addressing floor leaders of various parties in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday called on them to work cohesively with the government in running the House smoothly and to collectively address issues related to the welfare of people.
Modi urged all leaders to introspect whether members of Parliament are able to fulfil peoples’ aspirations as their representatives, a government release said. “We are for the people; we cannot win hearts by disrupting the functioning of the Parliament,” Modi said. “All parties must keep political differences aside and commit themselves to tirelessly work in the direction of the nation’s progress.”
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Parliamentary Affairs minister Prahlad Joshi said that in order to build mutual trust among members of all parties in the Parliament, the PM has invited party presidents of all political parties with representation in the Parliament, on 19 June, and MPs of both Houses, on 20 June, to freely interact and exchange views with the government.
Right from the BJP head quarters just after the elections, Modi ji has been stressing the need to take everybody on board and telling time and again that development and development only should be the agenda and the political class should work as one on this agenda. Interestingly, he also asked the lawmakers to introspect whether they justify their being true representative of their people. This shows his honest intent and wish to take the lead of Sabka Viswas.
By and large the opposition too have responded well and reciprocated by letting the Speaker elected unanimously to begin with. One hopes good sense to prevail upon Mamta di even keeping aside the political strife. Apart from TMC leader, she is the leader of her state too.
There has been times in Indian polity when numbers of opposition in Parliament was weak – even weaker than the numbers of opposition in this Parliament. There have also been occasions when the ruling party got thumping majority ( even 2/3rd). And that way the situation in not that peculiar this time. The peculiarity lies only in the fact that the opposition is completely demoralised and have not the leaders to reckon with. This is rather alarming and risky for the health of democracy . For power has the inherent seeds of arrogance and autocracy. The tall Leaders in ruling party as well as in opposition check and limit the arrogance and make the government accountable. Unfortunately, both are absent today. There is no tall Leaders in BJP and Modi ji is not at all ‘First among the Equals’ as the Prime Minister – the relationship between the Ministers and the Prime Minister is of CEO and subordinates. By assigning Cabinet positions to his three of top officials, the Prime Minister has already asserted the PMO is going to be yet more stronger. Virtually, no one can stand up and join issues with him in his party. The opposition is already in a precarious position.
In this situation, Modi ji is himself the only Check of Modi ji. He is required to grow bigger and greater. This is the requirement of development of his own personality too. He has achieved the optimum of being a politician. He has also achieved the Love of the people. Now, he has to achieve being a great Statesman and secondly, the has to achieve his remarkable place in the history by being a caring father figure and yes, of course, by being a respectable World Leader.
Arguably, the assertions of Modi ji is not only for opposition, they are for his BJP people too – rather more for them. For the ruling party has the greater responsibility of taking the lead and initiatives.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be happening. The chanting of Jai Shri Ram, Alla hu Akbar goes to suggest that only. Parliament is definitely not a place to prove religious credentials of the lawmakers. There are plenty of Tamples and Mosques to express and prove it. Modi ji has to see and get the modesty ensured.
There has to be consensus on lot many issues of development, national security and international relations. Broadly, the economy is going the direction taken by PV Narsimharao only – a natural continuity and extension of the ethos. The efforts of poverty elliviation – Jandhan, Ujjwala and recently piped water in villages should be getting support of all the parties. But similarly, opposition proposal of 33% representation of women in Parliament is also worth considering by the ruling party. The consensus is only possible when the government and the ruling party is receptive to the opposition.
Modi ji is standing at the edge. The Time and Tide is with him – it is for him make his place in the History !
“ Tough time “ should mean setting the bar high for accountability, not obstruction or disruption of proceedings. Focus on the economy above all else.
If the main purpose of opposition party is to disturb the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, then they don’t deserve any salaries and per day tax free payments and perquisites. Looks like they have decided to shoot in their own foot. A good opposition is need of the hour. But we have gadbandan candidates without proper agenda.