Political
Diary
New Delhi, 20 July
2021
Parliament Session
SHOW THE WAY, HOUSE
By Poonam I Kaushish
Monsoon embraced the
country in its squelchy soaking tentacles even as the first day of Parliament’s
19-day monsoon session got off on a bitter note with Prime Minister Modi unable
to introduce his new Ministers as a raucous Opposition created a din in both
Houses resulting in adjournment pre-lunch. Questionably, will this session,
like others before, be submerged in a verbal torrent of tu-tu-mein-mein leading to walk-outs and mayhem?
At one level, one could
dismiss this as the Opposition muscle flexing as it battles for political legitimacy
vis-à-vis the muscular BJP-led
Government. At another, what matters is if this will be the shape of the days
ahead driving another nail in the effective functioning and accountability of
Parliament, thereby negating democracy.
In these testing
Covid times scoring brownie points or indulging in dysfunctional and agitational
politics over superficial controversies will only result in a disenchanted citizenry
specially when they are exercised about a crippled economy, rising fuel and
essential commodities prices, high unemployment, continuing farmers agitation,
Chinese incursion in Ladhak etc. A time
to put the Government on the mat, ask difficult and sharp questions for its
failures.
Take Covid-19 mismanagement
and vaccination policy which has become a terrain for political disputation,
what-aboutery and propaganda. Undeniably the appointment of a new Union Health
Minister is a tacit admission by the Government of its abject failure to generate a swift and strong surge response to the second
wave.
“Over 40 crore people
have been given the vaccine in ‘baahu’
(arms) and become ‘Baahubali’,” asserts Modi. The Health Ministry tom-toms 2,60,12,352 un-utilised vaccine doses
are still available with States, UTs’ and private hospitals. Yet there is acute
shortage thanks to the Government’s failures to procure sufficient vaccines
early enough to lock in supplies or to plan for capacity expansion. In the Union Capital ‘no vaccines’ boards dot
various centres. In fact, the Supreme Court seems to be more concerned about
vaccine distribution as mass inoculation is the only defence against the virus
or its variants.
Why is the
Government still putting out over-optimistic forecasts for supply without being
held to account? Hasn’t it learnt from the second wave failure? How does it
intend to double vaccinate the entire adult population by December end? In May
it said it had over 2.16 billion doses by year end but in an affidavit to
Supreme Court the figure was 1.35 billion. Which one is correct? Also, it is promising
many vaccines that have not yet cleared trials, while failing to induce import
or manufacture of those that do.
Less said the better
about the Covid death toll pan India. Every few days States revise numbers
upwards underscoring their inept negligence of the second wave. Who can forget
the sight of floating dead corpses in the Ganga. Who will be held accountable?
But in an act of breathtaking effrontery, the UP Government is busy taking out full-page
newspaper advertisements boasting of the 'UP Model of Covid Control'. Sic.
Look at the Government’s
temerity, be it Centre or States, to hike fuel prices in the midst of the
pandemic wherein petrol crossed Rs 100 per litre in
several cities over the past few weeks, feeding into inflation and putting
pressure on household budgets. In Delhi it is Rs 101.84 per litre and diesel at Rs 89.87. In Mumbai Rs
107.83 and diesel Rs 97.45 respectively.
While the increase in
petrol and diesel prices can be explained by rising international fuel prices
to some extent, the high incidence of taxes by the Centre and States is
unjustifiable which together constitute 58% of petrol’s retail selling price
and 52% of diesel. Of this, the Centre’s excise duty is Rs 32-33 and the
remaining VAT levied by States. Over the last few months, both continue to pass
the buck over fuel tax reduction and resist making the first move. Time they stop
the blame game and Parliament initiate serious discussion on it becoming part
of GST or a rational tax regime.
According to the
Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy urban unemployment rates stood at 14.73% in May compared to 9.78% in
April and rural unemployment rate at 10.63% as against 7.13% in April 2021. Add to this, consumers buying less and a slowing economy.
Clearly, bread-and-butter issues are
back on the economic delivery table. Modi Yet the Government continues ostrich like to bury its head in
the sand giving bland replies. Who will take it to task?
It is nearly a year since the script is stuck between
the Sarkar and farmers demand for
repeal of the contentious farm laws. Both operating across a wide chasm of belief
and trust. At
one end, the farmers’ protest looks less political and more about subsistence
given the sustained agrarian crisis. It emerges from the basic need for food
that concerns all. Over 65% of the
population lives and works in agriculture, or activities thereof. But, over the
last 25 years the share of farming in the economy has shrunk from over 33% to
15%. Leading to public investment in kheti-baari
steadily falling. High time the Government settled the issue.
The Government also
needs to come clean on the continuing Chinese incursion in Ladhak which has
reached another dead end. Alongside the unfolding Pegasus scandal of spying on politicians,
judges, journalists etc.
It remains to be seen
if obstructionism will continue and whether our polity will continue to drift
along smugly without any shame, desire to turn a new page. Of late one sees the
Treasury Benches finding ways to run away from crucial debates thanks to the
Opposition providing perfect escape by
creating pandemonium. With the functioning of Parliament costing Rs 2.5 lakhs
per minute our Right Honourbles need to be sternly told they cannot squander aam janatas money.
The time has come for
all MPs to see how they can strengthen Parliamentary democracy before people
begin to mock them. One way is that on policy matters and legislative business
Treasury and Opposition Benches rise above sectarian political loyalties and be
guided by what the country needs, the sense of the House than the rule book.
Another
is to make the Executive accountable by taking a leaf out of Westminster. The
House of Commons has a-40 minutes a week “PM’s Hour” convention wherein MPs can
question him on any issue.
It needs to be
remembered that Parliament is the bedrock of our nation State. It represents citizens
who expect it to function as the sovereign watchdog of their national interest.
Constitutionally, the Executive is responsible and accountable to Parliament
every second of the day. Its survival depends on its enjoying the confidence of
the Lok Sabha. Nothing more, nothing less.
With
sharp battle lines between Treasury and Opposition if this distrust continues
it will only further devalue Parliament and lower its image. Thus, our leaders need to heed voices of reason. Tying
up Parliament in trivia, sans business does not behove the world’s largest
democracy. Time to change the rules to ensure accountability.
The
value of this session will be gauged by its success in moving the national
conversation forward. As leader of the world’s largest democracy Modi needs to
remember a good statesman always learns from his opposition than from his
supporters. Alongside our MPs must
introspect about what kind of legacy they are going to leave behind. Will they
allow Parliament to sink under the weight of its increasing decadence? ----
INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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