Parliament remains chaotic, Congress is clueless
It is clear that the ongoing session of Parliament is heading for a near washout, thanks to the uproar over issues of Telangana, the communal violence Bill and the role of Congress leaders in the 1984 massacre of Sikhs on the streets of Delhi and elsewhere. It is easy to blame certain members for the disruption that they have been causing over these matters, but the House managers of the Congress-led UPA Government knew well before the session commenced that they would have to confront these issues. Yet, from all accounts, they failed to devise a strategy to counter them. Their failure is starker given that many members who have not allowed the House to function belong to sections of the Congress that are lined up for and against the creation of a Telangana State. The Congress's mishandling of the Telangana issue has no justification. The main Opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party has backed the creation of the new State and it is up to the Congress-led UPA to get its members on board. That both the party and the regime have been unsuccessful in doing so is evident. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has been openly rebellious and the State Assembly, led by a majority which he commands, has rejected a Bill for the bifurcation of the State. The Congress has not managed to persuade him to fall in line, allowing the situation to be used by others who want the division of Andhra Pradesh. The UPA has also failed to address the concerns of the members cutting across party lines to the Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2014. Although the Bill has been deferred in the Rajya Sabha keeping in mind the 'sense of the House', it was not before proceedings were disrupted for hours at end. The controversy over Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's remark in an interview that some Congress leaders were “probably” involved in the killing of Sikhs in 1984 and that the Union Government, then belonging by the Congress, had worked to contain the massacre, too has not been effectively addressed. While the latter claim is blatantly false from what we know, the first acceptance is serious. If indeed certain Congress leaders were part of the sordid killings, why has the party not acted against them in the three decades gone byIJ
The primary responsibility of ensuring that Parliament functions smoothly and effectively lies with the Government of the day. Unfortunately, the UPA regime has vitiated the atmosphere to such an extent that the opposition parties simply do not trust its assurances. It seems that the Congress, certainly on its way out, has decided that offence is the best form of defence. The strategy will not work because there is nothing in the Government's performance to credibly defend; nor is there anything positive for it to be assertive about. The only take-away from the reconvened session will probably be the passing of the vote-on-account.