Will Congress wash out the Monsoon SessionIJ
Thanks to the obduracy of the Congress, the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins today, is expected to do limited business, if any at all. This is disappointing, since as many as three Bills before the lok Sabha and eight before the Rajya Sabha are pending for clearance. Eight more Bills have been listed for introduction in the House. Many of these, such as the ones relating to land acquisition, goods and services tax, mental healthcare, real estate and juvenile justice, are crucial and directly affect social and economic order. If the Congress and like-minded parties go ahead with their determination to disrupt the proceedings of Parliament, then the real casualty will not be the Union Government's image — though the Opposition certainly wants it that way. It will be the country's larger interest that will be adversely affected. The Congress needs to decide whether it wants to make its point forcefully on issues that it has held the Narendra Modi Government responsible, through debates and discussions or by ugly disruptions. It is no argument that the Bharatiya Janata Party had adopted a similar obstructionist attitude when the Manmohan Singh Government was in power. The tit-for-tat policy is not always the most sensible one. Unfortunately, the Congress has boxed itself into a corner, with its senior leaders, taking a cue from their over-belligerent vice president Rahul Gandhi being committed to the disruption of Parliament. Whether such a conduct will be limited to the first few days of the session or extend throughout, remains to be seen. The Congress does not appear prepared for a debate on the floor of the two Houses regarding the alleged links between senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders with the tainted former Indian Premier league chief lalit Modi, who is now based in london. The party wants External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to quit on grounds that it believes are valid. Both these leaders have given their clarifications and the BJP appears for the moment to have accepted them. Now, if the Congress thinks that the ruling party's two senior leaders — as also the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan, over the Vyapam scam — are on thin ice, it should establish that position on the floor of Parliament and compel the Government to act. Seeking to arm-twist the ruling party through threats of disruption is not the proper way. In this, the Congress will not get the support of opposition parties such as the Biju Janata Dal, which wants discussions on the issue.
The Congress has maintained that the BJP and its Government must be held accountable, and since the Prime Minister has neither commented nor acted on its demand for the resignations, the Congress has been left with no option but to disturb Parliament's proceedings. Surely these questions can be directed at the Government and the Prime Minister during discussions on the subject on the floor of the Houses. It is obvious that the Congress feels that the sensible way is not necessarily the one that will fetch it brownie points and media coverage of the kind it can get if it creates chaos. The approach, the Congress perhaps thinks, will also the help camouflage the differences that exist in Opposition ranks over issues such as the GST Bill and even on resignations. All in all, the Congress has not chosen the best way to make a comeback.