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UPA govt
Pending Bills: Till debate do us part |
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The credibility cliff By KV Prasad The UPA government has a heavy agenda for the Parliament session beginning on November 22, but even support from some of its allies is not a given, and not all opponents may be a threat. This is one declamation contest where the speeches will be written as they are delivered
Doubts such as these have arisen in the wake of the strident voices from among the parties in the Opposition, agitated on several decisions of the Manmohan Singh government over the past few months, especially those meant to re-ignite economic reforms. Functioning of Parliament has not been smooth since November-December 2010, when the entire winter session was lost with the Opposition demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum allocation after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimated a whopping Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss to the national exchequer. The government had then refused to concede, resulting in no work. Political turbulence The ruling coalition at the Centre has been facing turbulence in Parliament following irregularities pointed out by the government auditors on the Commonwealth Games, then the coal block allocations, Delhi Airport, and the gas blocks standoff between the government and a leading industrial house. The 2011 winter session saw an overhang of the Anna Hazare movement in its quest for a Lokpal, eventually ending in an abrupt adjournment of the Rajya Sabha at the stroke of midnight on December 29. Adding strength to the ongoing political storm were recent decisions of the government to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retailing, introduction of a cap on the supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders, increase in the price of diesel and proposed amendments to the insurance Act raising the FDI limit to 49 per cent. On its part, the government is clear that it is time to take “hard decisions”, buffeted as it is by a slowing economy, growing gap between imports and exports, countering accusation of being afflicted by “policy paralysis” and doing everything to avoid India being rated as a “junk” economy by international agencies. Be it the Congress Core Group or the Union Council of Ministers, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram have underscored the compulsions to prevent the economy from going into a tailspin. The prevailing international scenario is much worse, with the United States battling to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff’ and Euro Zone in ‘recession’. As late as Friday, the Finance Minister described as “challenged” the country’s economic situation, but stressed it was much better when compared to other international economies. “Only this morning you have read that Euro Zone is formally in recession. We are nowhere near that situation. The Indian economy is still growing at 5.5 per cent… our goal is to tide this difficult period and end the year on a reasonably satisfactory note…. I hope the growth will revive and move on to the high-growth track.” At the first meeting of the newly reconstituted Council of Ministers, the Finance Minister sought cooperation from his colleagues, recommending tightening of the belt and promising a friendlier budget next year. With revenue collections not showing up as expected, the government is already bracing for budget cuts even as it has told ministries and departments not to spend on non-priority items.
The dilemma The government is at the crossroads. On one hand is the need to demonstrate it retains grip on the economy amid slowdown and turn it on to the path of high-growth trajectory, and on the other ensure its survival is not jeopardised in the wake of delicate parliamentary arithmetic and growing distance with alliance partners. Needing 272 MPs for a simple majority in a House of 545, the Congress-led UPA is technically in a minority after the Trinamool Congress with its 19 MPs snapped ties with the ruling coalition at the Centre. The government's supporters figure stands slightly over 250 MPs, including eight MPs of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that to the embarrassment of the UPA recently joined hands with the Opposition in protest against FDI in retail. At such a crucial juncture, the importance of outside support by the Samajwadi Party with its 22 MPs and the Bahujan Samaj Party with 21 for the UPA to remain in comfort zone cannot be overstated. It is this vulnerability that the Opposition seeks to leverage for its demands. Aiming to corner the government in Parliament, the Left parties have declared its intention of forcing a discussion on FDI in retail under rules that entails voting. The BJP and its allies too are opposed to FDI in retail but unsure on the set of rules under which a debate be held. “Let all those who opposed the FDI decide. The SP has been with us in the past while the DMK joined the September 20 protest,” CPI national secretary D. Raja countered when pointed out contradictory signals. On his part, commenting on FDI, a hopeful Finance Minister Chidambaram said: “My suggestion is that no single issue be blown out of proportion. There are many important issues that concern the welfare of the people and future of the country.”
Aware of the need to carry along parties with competing interests while pushing through its legislative agenda, political managers of the Congress are going the extra mile to work with those across the political divide. “The Parliament session has a very heavy legislative agenda. We are reaching out to the various political parties to carry these through in the four weeks that we have for the session,” Chidambaram said. The statement reflected on the ground with Prime Minister holding exclusive meetings with leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, besides a dinner for UPA partners that was attended by the DMK, signalling unity of purpose. To start with, almost the entire Opposition has stated that the intention is to have a healthy and informed debate in Parliament on FDI in retail, which could happen only when the Houses function. The thrust and focus is clear, but there is confusion within the Opposition on the tactics. The collective mood after the UPA allies’ dinner on Friday can be summed up as “Discussion on FDI: Yes. Under Rules that ends with a vote: No”. The Congress managers appear guided by the parliamentary dictum, “While the Opposition can have its say, the government must have its way.” Former Rajya Sabha Secretary General VK Agnihotri recently deconstructed it to mean that while the Opposition can discuss and debate issues it is the responsibility of the government to push through its business. The spirit of mutual accommodation and not political grandstanding is the hallmark of parliamentary work.
Question of survival It is not yet clear whether the Trinamool Congress threat of moving a motion of no confidence will materialise. As per Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha, at least 50 MPs have to move the motion before it can be considered for admission while Union Minister Kapil Sibal maintains: “When the motion is brought before the House, we will face it”. A senior member of the Congress told The Tribune that its own assessment is that barring the Trinamool Congress, no other political party in Parliament is ready for early elections, indicating the absence of any immediate threat. The government’s confidence was in a way articulated by Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari who asserted: “Ever since the UPA-2 government was formed, there have been no two months without talk of mid-term polls. As far as we are concerned, we have the mandate for five years and we intend to look at elections in 2014”. As for the Left insistence of having a debate on FDI in retail under rules that entail voting, there are several imponderables. One, the presiding officers of both the Houses will have to take a view, which in the Rajya Sabha is done in concurrence with the government. Even before acceding to the demand, the government often attempts to negotiate the wording of the text so that in case the resolution is carried, it does not sound like Parliament rapping the knuckles of the executive. There is enough opportunity for the government to work its way through but that would require skilful political management so as not to upset the delicately-poised UPA applecart.
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Pending Bills: Till debate do us part There is a pile of Bills that is pending in both Houses of Parliament, awaiting consideration and passage. These include a slew of proposed legislation related to fighting corruption, introducing greater transparency in government procurement, social welfare, farm sector and other issues. Here’s a look at some of the more crucial ones pending:
Lokpal and lokayuktas Bill Reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies Right of citizens for time-bound delivery of goods and services and redressal of grievances Bill Whistleblowers protection Bill
The higher education and research Bill The universities for research and innovation Bill The national commission for human resources for health Bill
Street vendors (protection of livelihood and regulation of street vending) Bill The prohibition of employment of manual scavengers and their The communal violence (prevention, control and rehabilitation of victims) Bill
The Piracy Bill
FARM SECTOR
Pesticides Bill, 2008 — KV Prasad
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Since then repeated adjournments on issues of corruption or on issues that political parties sought to highlight have led to frequent disruptions. Statistics on the Lok Sabha website show that 124.40 hours were lost during the sixth session (November 9-December 13, 2010) and 76.21 hours in the ninth session (November 22-December 21, 2011) during the life of the current House. Not a healthy sign for the upcoming session then!
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM
EDUCATION SECTOR
SOCIAL SECTOR
SECURITY
The Seeds Bill seeks to regulate the production, distribution and sale of seeds. It requires every seller of seeds (including farmers) to meet certain standards. The Standing Committee has recommended that farmers selling or exchanging seeds from other farmers be exempt from this requirement. The Bill has been pending since December 2004. The government proposed new amendments in April 2010 and November 2010, accepting most of the recommendations. It has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha.