- >>
- Politics
NEW DELHI: An emergency measure provided for by the Constitution of India seems to have become the norm for the BJP led government at the centre that has used this unusual route of Ordinances to bypass Parliament that remained opposed to many of the legislations it had proposed during the winter session of Parliament.
Most controversial is the Land Acquisition act that was signed by President Pranab Mukherjee without murmur. The President of India can register his disapproval by sending back a Bill for the reconsideration of the government, and while he has no choice but to give his consent finally, this proviso does communicate a certain moral censure from the highest gubernatorial office in the country.
The Opposition slammed the Modi government for the “anti farmer” legislation. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who is in direct confrontation with the central government said that her party, the Trinamool Congress will fight the Ordinance. She said she would not allow the provisions of the Land Acquisition Ordinance to prevail in her state. “They will snatch your land at gun point. I throw this challenge. We will not allow this in Bengal, they will have to do it over my dead body,” Banerjee said. She said that the Narendra Modi government had created a situation in the country that was “worse than the Emergency.”
Former Minister Jairam Ramesh said this was “deeply disturbing” as it would lead to forcible acquisition, excess acquisition and diversion of land owned by farmers. Congress leader Digvijay Singh echoed the other opposition leaders in saying that the “NDA is a government of Ordinances. Apparent now whom they represent. Amending Land Acquisition Act is anti farmer and BJP is anti farmer.”
Another BJP ally from Tamil Naidu, PMK founder S Ramadoss also criticised the ‘back door entry’ by the NDA government, saying the changes in the Land Acquisition Act will affect crores of farmers in the country.
The Ordinances have to be ratified by Parliament at the next session. The government has at best given the measures a short lease of life, as the Rajya Sabha where the Opposition has a majority is not likely to give its assent. The government has been threatening the Opposition with another outside-the-norm measure, of holding a joint session of Parliament to pass the pending Bills.
Under the Constitution a joint session of Parliament can be convened by the President if a bill has not been passed by the two Houses for six months. Such a Bill can be passed by simple majority of the two Houses, which the BJP does have at this present juncture. However, this has not been a favoured route of most governments for passing Bills, with persuasion being favoured in democracy. Only three bills have been passed by joint sessions till date which are the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the Banking Service Commission Repeal Bill, 1978 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002.
