Vociferous Opposition, stalling the Monsoon Session for the last two days over the State Government’s move to amend the CNT-SPT Acts, got support from unexpected quarters on Wednesday when a number of tribal BJP MlAs expressed their reservations on the way the Ordinance relating to tenancy laws was prepared and sent to the President for his assent.
The legislators from the ruling party also flagged their concern before Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday.
The objections of the BJP members namely Shivshankar Oraon, Bimla Pradhan, Ram Kumar Pahan, Gangotri Kujur and few others, who are also the members of the Tribal Advisory Committee, the apex advisory body over tribal matters, were centered around the process to amend the Act.
“We are appalled the way things have happened. In the TAC meeting any agenda should come at least a week before which was not followed in this case. Mere our presence there is perceived as our consent. Also, certain clauses which were approved during the meeting have been left out in the draft Ordinance. Appropriate procedure (to amend the CNT-SPT Act) has not been followed in this case,” said Shivshankar Oraon before heading for a meeting with the Chief Minister.
Oraon, almost echoing JMM’s Hemant Soren’s allegation that the legislators were kept in dark over the all important amendments having direct bearings on tribal land, further added that the TAC members were unaware that the Ordinance had been sent for the presidential assent.
“I came to know about this not before the matter raised in the House,” he claimed
After meeting the CM, Oraon told The Pioneer that wordings of the Ordinance differed from the Cabinet note. “In the Cabinet note there is a provision of consent to be taken from the tribal land losers. But the Ordinance, which is being brought to add Clause-C in the Section-49 of the CNT Act, has no mention of that. We also have objection over provision of transferring the land to the industrialists which is not right. Ownership should not change,” said the Sisai MlA, clarifying that there was no issue regarding lands being acquired for basic infrastructural purposes such as road, school, canal etc.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Gangotri Kujur who, however, rapped the JMM for stalling the House instead of facilitating discussion. She said that the suggestions of the TAC members had not found place properly in the Ordinance.
“This may be the fault of the officials. But it has happened. These things could have come into fore had the JMM allowed discussion to take place in the House,” said she. Since there was no copy of the Ordinance with the Government another meeting of the members would take place on Thursday.
As feared, the House could not function on its third consecutive day as the JMM persisted with its demand to recall the Ordinance. “This is the issue of utmost importance. Are we here just to pass Budgets and nod our heads with the GovernmentIJ How can we keep mum when an issue concerning majority of the population here is at hand,” retorted the leader of Opposition, pressing for Adjournment Motion in the House when it met briefly on three occasions on Wednesday.
later, speaking outside with the media, Soren feeling vindicated from the echo coming from BJP quarters, termed it an issue attached to culture and custom of tribal. “People in the Government are also concerned about that. It is a burning issue which can even disturb law and order situation of the State. The Government would have to take this back in any case,” said he in a veiled threat.
Hemant’s rhetoric that did not spare the CM when he termed him ‘mauni baba’ while commenting over his consistent silence despite daily disruptions. It instigated members of JMM to troop into the well and stall the proceeding. This also saw tempers going high when Ministers Saryu Roy and Neelkant Singh Munda blamed JMM for hijacking the Assembly unilaterally.
Where Roy affirmed that the Government wanted to run the House and charged the Opposition for being hell-bent and for flagging different issues on daily basis, Munda, commenting on ‘death of democracy’ barb of Hemant, twisted it as ‘death of JMM’.