Political parties will always be fighting each other on some issue or the other. But that’s no reason for them to stall Parliament
Yet another Parliament session seems to be moving towards a washout because of the confrontation between the ruling coalition and the Opposition led by the Congress. With both sides armed with ammunition to attack each other, there has been no meeting point. Nor has there been any effort on part of the Government to woo the Opposition.
The confrontation is at the top level, with the Bharatiya Janata Party determined to take on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on the AgustaWestland controversy, the Ishrat Jahan case, and other issues. On the other hand, the Congress too finds fault with the Modi Government in using Article 356 to dismiss the Congress Governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively.
Politically, the confrontation was not unexpected in view of the on-going Assembly elections to four States and one Union Territory where the stakes are high for all players — the Congress, the BJP, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Trinamool Congress, the left Democratic Front and other parties.
Some of the confrontation is due to this electoral battle. The Congress is ruling in Assam and Kerala but struggling to retain both the States — or at least one of them to improve its sagging image after the 2014 lok Sabha debacle. The BJP too miserably lost in the Assembly elections of Delhi and Bihar, and is looking to improve its position in these other States where it does not have big presence.
The confrontation is happening on several issues. First is in Uttarakhand, where the BJP wants to form a Government and the Congress wants to restore its regime which has been dismissed by the President. Unfortunately, for the Congress, the Parliament session began when the Uttarakhand crisis had moved to the courts.
While the Uttarakhand High Court had questioned the imposition of President’s Rule in the State and restored the Government, the Supreme Court has stayed the High Court’s order. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is waiting to prove his majority in the Assembly. Whatever be the verdict of the apex court, one party will be affected party — and this will find echo in Parliament too.
The second battlefield is the Ishrat Jahan case. The BJP slammed former Home Minister P Chidambaram for his decision to alter the affidavit probably at the instance of the Congress high command. The BJP is belligerent on this issue while the Congress is on the defensive.
The third battlefied is the Pathankot terror attack case. On this issue, the Congress wants to put the BJP on the mat. linked to this is the relation between both India and Pakistan where the Modi Government is accused of having a flip-flop policy. The Opposition will expect a statement on this week’s Foreign Secretary-level talks which happened on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi.
Then there is the continuation of the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation issue. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India has submitted its fifth report in the past six years: It’s a damaging indictment of the GSPC, which was directly managed by Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.
Yet another boiling issue is the continuation of YS Chowdary of the Telugu Desam Party in the Modi Cabinet against whom there is a non-bailable warrant for non-payment of loans amounting to `100 crore. Now, the latest addition to this list is the AgustaWestland deal. The BJP is upbeat on this —waving the Italian court’s order which hints at corruption at the level of some senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi.
While the Congress has rejected the charge, the BJP demands that if bribe givers have been convicted, bribe takers should be exposed. This issue seems to be moving on the lines of the Bofors scam, which cost former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, his Government.
Issues come and go, but why should Parliament be paralysedIJ It is the parliamentarians duty to pass legislation and scrutinise the Budget. They must realise that if Parliament does not function, they will fail to fulfill their duty. losing one more session does not auger well for either the Government and the Opposition. A middle-ground must be found.