Terming the Communal Violence Bill as “the most obnoxious piece of legislation in Independent India”, the BJP on Saturday said had it been in place, it would have resulted in punishment of the members of the majority community for Muzaffarnagar riots.
“The 2011 draft, which the National Advisory Council prepared, I have not the least doubt, is the most obnoxious piece of legislation in Independent India,” leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said. “For instance, in Muzaffarnagar violence if this Bill had existed and both communities had representatives who were guilty of violence, one would be prosecuted under this law, others would not,” he said, terming the controversial bill divisive and discriminatory.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, however, said the Bill has been prepared to curb the “ideology of hate and violence”. “This is something absolutely important in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-caste society that India is,” he said. Both were speaking at a leadership summit organised by a mediahouse. Faced with fierce opposition to the Bill, the Government has had to water down its provisions. Its fate still hangs in the balance though.
On the rise of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, which exits polls have predicted would make a strong debut in Delhi Assembly polls, Jaitley said it has to be seen whether it is a long lasting phenomena or not. Jaitley had earlier dismissed AAP’s presence in the fray, saying opting for it would be a waste of vote. However, he was not as dismissive as he was before the polls. Whether results, which would be announced on Sunday, back up the buzz about it in elections remain to be seen, he added.
For his part, Singh said he would welcome all civil society members, who want powers without accountability, in politics. The BJP and Congress also locked horns over Parliament’s functioning. Singh blamed BJP’s confrontational attitude since 2004, when it lost power, for pending bills and loss of work in Parliament — on a number of occasions on “petty issues”.
“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh can be charged on any issue but not for confrontation. He is one man who is not a confrontationist,” he said. Jaitley countered saying it was a myth that BJP was not allowing economic legislation to go through in Parliament. He blamed the slowdown on “executive decision-making and weak prime ministerial authority which lacked in overruling” one voice in favour of another.
If you slow down on infrastructure it is not Parliament that comes in between. If you slow down on clearing Rs 700,000 crore worth of project, it is not Parliament coming in between. “Now within the Government there are differences of opinion and prime ministerial authority is lacking in certainly overruling in favour of another, the slowdown is because of that,” he said.
Both leaders, nevertheless, were on the same page when it came to criminalisation of politics as they blamed societal sanction for criminals as a major reason for fall in standards of politics. While Singh said that “in a democracy, people get a government they deserve,” Jaitley said voters preference for such leaders left parties with little option but to rely on them.
“There is an impression, to a large extent true, that the quality of people who man politics does not measure up... We in the political parties have to improve the quality of people who represent parties in legislative and other bodies,” he said. There was no point in criticising the system from outside, he said, adding that more well-meaning people must join political parties or form their political parties and contribute to politics.