Author: Shyam Khosla
Publication: Organiser
Date: May 8, 2005
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=77&page=16
Introduction: L.K. Advani was not
allowed to speak. What transpired in the Rajya Sabha was more painful.
The Treasury benches made a mockery of parliamentary democracy. The Congress
is re-enacting what it did in the 70s and 80s.
The intense bitterness generated
by the attitude of the UPA government and the Speaker towards the Opposition
has led to a deadlock. There is hardly any communication between the Treasury
Benches and the Opposition. NDA's three-day boycott of not only the proceedings
of the two Houses but also of all the committees is unprecedented in the
parliamentary history of the country. The Opposition's main grouse is that
the ruling alliance treats it as an 'enemy' rather than an adversary. This
is no way to run parliamentary democracy.
The Opposition is an important and
essential part of the democratic process. Differences in policies and perceptions
are a part of the game but persons holding responsible offices are not
expected to misuse the floor of the House to make wild and unsubstantiated
allegations against persons and parties not represented in Parliament.
It is for the Speaker to regulate the proceedings and ensure that ministers
don't abuse their positions to spread canards. It is one of the important
duties of the Speaker to ensure that no minister misleads the House by
making false and wild allegations.
The Opposition has not so far openly
taken exception to the Speaker's attitude presumably for tactical reasons
but there is absolutely no doubt that the NDA is deeply hurt by his 'partisan'
role. Speakers are presumed to be above party politics. They have to prove
it by rising above partisan interests and acting as non-partisan referees.
Unfortunately, the Speaker is in no position to resolve the disputes between
the ruling alliance and the Opposition, as he is part of the problem.
At the core of the confrontation
is the Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on two counts-his unsubstantiated
allegations against the RSS and his refusal to resign even after a court
framed charges against him in the multi-crore fodder scam. He enraged the
BJP and its allies by his startling allegation in the course of his suo
moto statement in Parliament that during his visit to the site of the railway
accident near Vadodara, he was 'attacked' by activists of the RSS, VHP
and Bajrang Dal. The minister made this irresponsible and baseless statement
without offering any proof or enquiry. A minister making a statement on
the floor of the House needs to be more circumspect than politicians (like
Lalu Prasad) making false and baseless allegations against their adversaries-perceived
or real-in public rallies.
The Opposition's persistent demand
for the expunction of certain objectionable observations in the Railway
Minister's statement was ignored. Lalu made matters worse by repeatedly
asserting that he stood by his accusations. This led to a confrontation
between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition. There were ugly scenes
in both the Houses leading to repeated adjournments. Leader of the Opposition,
Shri L.K. Advani was not allowed to speak.
What transpired in the Rajya Sabha
was more painful. The Treasury Benches made a mockery of parliamentary
democracy. The Congress is re-enacting what it did in the 70s and 80s.
It has no use for democratic norms. It is taking the country back to the
hated Emergency era and dictatorship.
Lalu Prasad has made a lot of noise
about the 'attack' on him and stones and petrol bombs thrown at his car
in Gujarat. His target is Narendra Modi-his bete noire. He is playing the
same old card of arousing communal passions to consolidate his minority
vote-bank. Independent observers have given a lie to the canards spread
by the Railway Minister. The Gujarat government has ordered a judicial
enquiry into the incident. One waits for the report of the enquiry to find
out if there was indeed any 'attack' on the minister. In case it turns
out that there was no attack and the minister had made a mountain without
even a molehill, will Lalu Prasad take the moral responsibility and quit?
And will he publicly apologise to the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal
for maligning these patriotic organisations?
Former Prime Minister, Atal Behari
Vajpayee, led the Opposition attack on the Railway Minister. He asked Lalu
Prasad to resign on moral grounds fully knowing that Lalu is no Lal Bahadur
Shastri, who did resign owning moral responsibility for a railway accident.
The former Prime Minister proudly talked about his long association with
the RSS and deplored the minister's attempt to implicate the Sangh in the
so-called attack. Certain commentators and reporters gave it a malicious
twist. What is the basis of their presumption that the former Prime Minister
wouldn't speak in defence of the RSS? Public memory is short but people
have not forgotten that Atalji and his colleagues firmly declined to give
up their association with the RSS and faced expulsion from the Janata Party
on the dual membership issue in 1980.
The second issue on which Lalu must
go is the fact that he stands charge-sheeted for cheating and other crimes
in the infamous fodder scam case. Shibu Soren was forced to resign in a
similar situation. The only difference is that the court had issued warrants
of arrest against the then Minister for Coal. Lalu Prasad and his RJD's
support is critical for the durability of the UPA government. Will the
Prime Minister allow such a man to be a member of his cabinet and wait
endlessly till he is convicted and sent to jail? Lalu has no business to
be in the government. He is a slur on the fair name of democracy and the
sooner he is shunted out, the better it would be for the country and the
image of the Prime Minister.
Dr. Manmohan Singh is perceived
to an honest and decent person. The nation expects him to act, and act
fast. No one is willing to buy the Congress party's argument that L.K.
Advani and several other ministers in the NDA government didn't resign
even after they were charge-sheeted in the Babri demolition case. It is
no one's case that Advani and others of his ilk were charge-sheeted in
a case of moral turpitude. They were actively involved in the Ayodhya movement
and had gone to the temple town to participate in karseva. There is ample
evidence available to show that they tried their best to restrain the karsevaks
from demolishing the disputed structure but failed.
Former Joint Director, Intelligence
Bureau, Maloy Krishan Dhar, in his controversial book, Open Secrets says
IB has a video clip showing Advani and others were not involved in the
demolition. In any case, that case is political in nature and similar to
criminal cases filed against countless political leaders for their involvement
in political struggles and movements. The popular perception is that Advani
and others of his ilk were implicated in the case at the instance of the
Congress government as an act of political vendetta. There is no comparison
between Advani and Lalu. The latter is shameless. Advani, on the other
hand, set a glorious tradition by resigning his seat in Parliament and
vowing not to seek re-election till the courts cleared him in the Jain
hawala case. Subsequent events showed that that was yet another act of
political vendetta unleashed by a Congress Prime Minister.
Recent incidents show that the Congress
party is bent upon undermining democratic institutions with a view to imposing
a one-family rule on the country.
