Parliament in session, Prime Minister in Parliament, debates, discussions and even the prospect of legislation- is it all real or just a fantasy, or nostalgia? Such has been our experience with parliamentary sessions in recent years, that we are somewhat taken aback to see things actually working.
At the very outset, the presence of Prime Minister Modi in Parliament is somewhat unusual, since he normally stays away. Then his speech, which, instead of being combative and attacking, was more in the nature of an outreach to the opposition. He mentioned Nehru – in itself surprising – and spoke about the Idea of India. Of course, the occasion was “Constitution Day”, a newly created event to mark the anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, but even so.
The opposition seemed unconvinced and criticised the government and indeed the creation of such a Day. Sitaram Yechury asked why such a day should exist in the first place—it is an excellent speech which bears repeated watching. Rahul Gandhi has been hitting out at the government and at the Prime Minister.
But all this has been happening inside Parliament, which is how it should be in any healthy democracy. For the last few years, sessions have been more or less washed out, thanks to the obstreperous attitudes of the opposition — during the UPA rule it was the BJP which refused to let the Houses function, and after the NDA took over, it was the Congress which got them stalled.
It may be recalled that BJP stalwarts such as Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had even justified the stalling of Parliament. “Not allowing Parliament to function is also a form of democracy, like any other form”—these were Swaraj’s words during the UPA’s government, when session after session was lost. The Congress paid back the BJP in its own coin.
The BJP and the Congress are political rivals and while the former is on the ascendant, the latter is not by any means wiped out. Congress Mukt Bharat is a distant dream, whatever the BJP might think. Moreover, the recent performance of the Congress in Bihar, where it won 27 of the 41 seats it fought, has given it renewed confidence.
But that is no justification for holding up legitimate business and now both, the government and the opposition seem to have understood it. Either this good sense has emerged on its own, or some discreet confabulations have taken place to ensure that not only is Parliament allowed to function normally —with all the thrusts and parries, attacks and counter-attacks of a normal debate — but some legislation is also passed.
For Narendra Modi, it is imperative to get things going. The Land Bill, on which he expended considerable political capital, had to be dropped because the opposition did not budge and the government did not have the numbers in the upper house. But the GST bill is something all are agreed upon. The Congress has some misgivings and wants a few things changed, the government has cogent reasons against any alteration — in time, some compromise will be reached upon and the bill will go through. Give and take is good politics.
At the same time, neither side is going to give any quarter to the other. The BJP and the Congress are political rivals and while the former is on the ascendant, the latter is not by any means wiped out. Congress Mukt Bharat is a distant dream, whatever the BJP might think. Moreover, the recent performance of the Congress in Bihar, where it won 27 of the 41 seats it fought, has given it renewed confidence. The forthcoming elections in Assam and later in other states too are going to be crucial.
This by no means suggests that the BJP is in any danger — winning or losing an election is not the end of the road for a political party and at the moment there is no threat to this government. But what it does imply is that both sides are going to go into political battles with renewed energy and determination — a year ago it had appeared that the BJP had effectively demolished the Congress to such an extent that the latter would not be able to muster up any will for a fight. That is no longer the case.
Add to that is the emergence of newer challengers, such as Nitish Kumar. In Bihar, he demonstrated that anti-incumbency is not a golden rule and managed to win handsomely despite all that the BJP threw at him. The lesson from Bihar is that if local parties (and, in this case, the Congress too) get together, they can defeat the BJP. Can this be replicated at the national level? Or will it even work in other states, such as UP? That remains to be seen. But in theory it is a prospect that the BJP will be viewing with some concern.
Clearly, thus, the BJP has read the tea leaves well. The earlier arrogance has gone. In its place has come a more conciliatory tone, a willingness to show adjustment and accommodation. This is critical to get things moving and show some successes. For the BJP this must have been a bitter pill to swallow, to know that despite a full majority in Parliament — at least in the Lower House —it still cannot have its way. But without the cooperation of other parties, legislation will not be passed and that will impact growth. On their part, the opposition parties have realised that there is no point in constantly holding up parliamentary sessions — some legislative work must be done, especially if it’s in the national interest. Good sense has prevailed and this can only benefit the country at large.
