Legislation In Monsoon

The monsoon session of the Parliament begins today on July 21, 2015. The prime minister Narendra Modi reached out to the opposition parties yesterday and request them to let Parliament function without obstruction. He also ensured them that there will be a debate on all issues of national interest. Either the PM is daydreaming that opposition will allow the Parliament proceedings without any din or just being diplomatic. How can he expect that? The BJP, when in opposition, had rarely let Parliament function smoothly. Senior leaders of BJP said that it is legitimate to disrupt Parliament proceedings by the opposition. And at a time when three ministers of BJP is under the scanner, it is the golden opportunity for the opposition parties. None other than foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Rajasthan CM Vashundhra Raje and her son Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Singh or BJP's Robert Vadra are involved in a serious breach of propriety by helping a fugitive Lalit Modi in a foreign country or simply Lalitgate. Moreover, the vyapam scam and further killing of witnesses and those who were investigating the scam is under CBI Investigation recently ordered by the Supreme Court.

The demand of resignation of these ministers by the opposition is valid. They have every right to do so. In fact, opposition's role is to raise the voice against government's wrongdoings. But by making Parliament a hostage to fulfil their demands is not valid. They have been voted not only to oppose but also to govern at the same time. On the other hand, the government cannot just blame the opposition for sluggish legislation. Why have not the BJP's ministers resigned despite the serious charges against them? And how can a person from the same party give a clean chit to another person of the same party? They think the countrymen are fools. On moral grounds, they should have resigned as yet. But they have not, which shows the declining role of morality in Indian politics. Or this may be an arrogance of numbers of the ruling party.

For Modi, Parliament is "the temple of democracy" in which he wants to take a VVIP Entry and worship without any chaos. But people have trusted him and given his government a full majority. So his government must be accountable to the people which is extremely important for any healthy democracy!

The key Bills to be passed in this session includes:
1. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012
2. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013
3. Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 as passed by Lok Sabha
4. Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2015
5. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re-settlement (Second) Bill, 2015
6. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill
7. Bureau of Indian Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2015
8. Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015
9. Road Transport & Safety Bill, 2015

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