Gloves are off as the Government has decided to take on the united Opposition inside and outside the House with all firmness over its stand on the proposed amendments in the tenancy laws.
launching a scathing attack on the JMM, the party spearheading the dissenting voices, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy charged its supreme leader Shibu Soren for allowing amendments in the CNT-SPT Acts before for some position.
The statements were made outside the House when Speaker Dinesh Oraon finally called off the proceeding for the day at 12.30 pm on Friday amid unrelenting JMM, Congress and JVM members who drove into the well on many occasions holding placards and shouting slogans. This ate up the entire Question Hour and Zero Hour.
"The Act had been amended in 1996 as well when lalu Yadav was heading a minority Government with the support of the JMM. Then, Shibu Soren and Suraj Mandal were given posts and the amendments were allowed. They are now opposing the Bills without even going through it," Roy maintained.The Minister explained that the Opposition parties were preempting about the provisions yet to be brought just for the sake of politics. "When the Bills have not been introduced in the House what is the point in opposing itIJ First, they opposed the Ordinance and demanded proper discussion on the issue in the House. Now, when the Government is bringing the Bill they are not willing to discuss! They can oppose us but can't dictate terms to the Government," added Roy.
Despite opposition, the Government has decided to go ahead with the proposed amendment in the twin Acts and two Bills are to be moved in the Assembly on November 23. Copies of the Bills were circulated amongst the legislators for thorough reading on Friday. Roy instead, suggested the members to read it property and come up with their suggestions.
"There are 50 other castes that are under the CNT-SPT provisions. They are not benefiting out of it. The members should study the Bills and then decide who is in advantage or disadvantage because of the changes being made. It is unfortunate that the Opposition is failing in their duty in a democracy and just disrupting the House," said he.
largely united, the Opposition spoke differently on the mode and extent of the protest. The JMM adopted a hard line by outrightly rejecting any scope for considering the amendments whereas the Congress and the JVM pitched in with a unique demand.
"This is the resultant of a stubborn Government. They are taking the provisions of the CNT-SPT lightly. The Chief Minister has made it his personal agenda and heading in a wrong direction which could be dangerous for the State. I would say him not to cross the laxman Rekha," maintained leader of Opposition Hemant Soren.
He also snubbed any scope of discussing the twin Bills in the House. "There is no use of it as no change would be accepted in the tenancy laws. It is their ploy to discuss the Bills and get it passed with voice vote on the basis of majority they enjoy," added the JMM leader.
The party also believed that under certain Constitutional provisions Assembly is incapable of bringing any amendment in the laws. later in the evening, the entire Opposition went to meet Governor Droupadi Murmu and handed over a memorandum to her requesting not to permit the Bills for tabling in the House.
The Congress and the JVM, however, mellowed their voices and demanded referendum before going ahead. "The Government should hold a plebiscite and collect opinion of the people before proposing the amendments. We had moved Adjournment Motion only for that today but the Government did not allow this," said ClP leader Alamgir Alam. JVM's Pradeep Yadav also toed a similar line, terming the changes for capitalists and to loot tribal lands.
"Where is any bar on building schools, hospitals etc in the State at the momentIJ They are cunningly doing this as once the nature of the land is changed no provision of the tenancy Act would be applicable on that and the shield to the tribals are gone," said Yadav.
However, BJP's Shivshankar Oraon rejected the inference, saying that sufficient safeguards are being put into the Bills which clearly say that ownership rights of tribals over the land is intact at any cost. "Amendment in any law is done for the larger welfare and with changing time. This law has also been amended 26 times before. The amendments are for simplification and for development of the tribals," said the TAC member.