New Movement On Structural Reforms In
Parliament
Just when most analysts and India observers had given up,
resigned to the Modi government’s boring economic incrementalism, far from good
enough to deliver the goods - along comes a surprise.
There has appeared, with the breakthrough of two important
structural reform laws, a gap in the hedge. A clear passage, through the
perpetual battle royale in parliament, it comes like a breath of fresh air, and
not a moment too soon.
The long impasse, practically throughout the 21 plus
months of this government’s existence, was holding up, not only the
government’s reform and legislative agenda, but also wilfully retarding the
nation’s rate of GDP growth. Some observers have said that the potential to
achieve double-digit growth was being stymied by a tragic lack of consensus.
Not all the regional parties have been comfortable with
the Congress brand of confrontational and ‘beggar thy neighbour’ politics. Particularly,
as the non-passage of GST, Labour, Bankruptcy, Land and other important reform
oriented laws, was, and is, adversely affecting several of the states.
With an
unprecedented and perilous figure of PSU bank NPA’s, the implementation of the
Bankruptcy Code for example, has progressed from being a desirable to a dire
necessity.
However, with many of the operational controls being
state subjects, some have cut loose, to make progress on their own. This is
making for uneven development and wasted opportunity in those states who insist
on partisan politics trumping all else. That this methodology is self-defeating
over the medium term, is starting to dawn, even on the stick-in-the-mud
Congress.
Besides, it shows it the limitations of its obstructionism that
cannot sustain.
The BJP too is now like a thing transformed. Gone is its
inexplicable diffidence in the face of opposition attack. From being a good
facsimilie of “Congress plus cow”, as senior BJP member and author/journalist
Arun Shourie had it, it is showing signs of the Modi stamp of conviction politics
at last.
It has thrown over
its failed strategy of trying to curry favour with the belligerent Congress, and begun to kick back.
The RSS too is taking on an unapologetically positivist and modernist role within
its socially transformational space.
Congress, trapped in its mandir-masjid mindset and its
corrupt image, finds itself slipping off the bully pulpit. Lost and unmoored,
it is desperately making common cause with separatists, maoists, communists, convicted
terrorists- being depicted as martyrs, other
anti-national elements, even amongst students and professors; and all this in
the quest for political traction. It has even gone so far as to compare ISIS to
RSS, if in a diabolical and roundabout way.
Besides, this kind of divisive propaganda politics may be
short-lived yet, particularly within parliament, if a certain private member’s
bill, recently introduced, becomes law. This quiet proposal has the potential
to change the complexion of parliamentary functioning once and for all.
This bill, let us call it the Anti-Disruption Bill, was introduced recently, in the Lok
Sabha by MP Jayadev Galla of the TDP, one amongst the 32 private members’ bills
admitted. It may well be the next big idea after Rajiv Gandhi’s Anti-Defection
Bill became law.
This would-be law seeks to effect the disentitlement of
daily allowance to members for disrupting the House, and further the “termination
of membership of a member or group of members who disrupt proceedings of the
House”. It would throw an elected MP out
of office, privileges and perquisites, for the remaining duration of his term
for disruption of parliament.
In one fell swoop this bill, if it becomes law, will
return parliament to discussion, debate, decorum and democratic voting as
envisaged by the founding fathers of the Indian constitution.
In the context of constant mayhem, the washout of two
consecutive parliamentary sessions, the colossal waste of public funds, Galla’s
bill has come at a most opportune time and could create history.
While we will have to wait and see how this highly
significant bill progresses, for now, the long-awaited Real Estate Regulation
& Development Bill 2015, that empowers and protects the interests of
home-buyers was passed into law on December 10th. It will go a long way to revive the confidence
of buyers’ in the residential housing sector. The builders will not be able to delay
projects with impunity in future, nor can they divert investor funds into multiple
projects, or indeed siphon off monies into private aggrandisement.
Another most welcome development was the introduction of
the Aadhar Bill as a Money Bill in the Lok Sabha. As a money bill, it cannot be blocked, even as
Congress, true to form, is protesting its very introduction as a money bill.
Once passed, the implementation of the Aadhar Bill will
go a long way to accurately target subsidies for the poor, and prevent their
misappropriation by unscrupulous and corrupt middle-men.
At first, it is
intended to be used for the LPG and food subsidies. Later on, it may well be
the preferred conduit for all forms of government assistance direct into the
bank account of the recipient. Already
the fertilizer subsidy for farmers is intended to be streamed through Aadhar.
In conjunction
with millions of bank accounts recently opened under the Modi government’s
early initiative in this regard, and others expected to follow suit, not only
will millions of the ‘unbanked’ join the organised sector, but with help
reaching the deserving without ‘leakages’, the Aadhar Law plus the individual
bank accounts has true transformative potential. The Aadhar Card’s parent, Nandan
Nilekani, suggests that it can be used not just for subsidies, but to “democratise
credit”.
On the back of these two laws, the government seems far
more confident of passing other sorely needed bills in the second half of this
budget session itself.
The weakening of the Congress strength of numbers in the
Rajya Sabha, with members routinely retiring and so on, has had a part to play
in the new developments.
Some reports suggest that it too does not want to fly
in the face of opposition unity. Getting ensnared in an increasing number of probes,
investigations, and prosecutions, is also putting on the requisite pressure to
persuade cooperation.
This, even as the Modi government is apparently doing
much better at coordinating its initiatives with the less obdurate sections of
the opposition.
The large number of state assembly elections coming up
makes it difficult for Congress to continue with its role of spoiler, particularly
when others in the nominal opposition outside the NDA, want to take a more
proactive and positive stance to their voters.
At this rate, the second half of this government’s term
promises to do much better than the first.
For: The Pioneer
(1,099 words)
March 15th, 2016
Gautam Mukherjee
No comments:
Post a Comment