People's Democracy

THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Subhas Ray

ON December 8, beginning of the second week of winter session, the government faced a major embarrassment in Lok Sabha when voting on the Industrial Development Bank (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Bill took place. The bill sought to repeal the IDBI Act to make it a banking company. The initial round of voting endorsed Basudeb Acharya’s amendment seeking the insertion of a clause that the government would retain control over the new company by holding 51 per cent equity. Acharya insisted on a division and his amendment was carried through, 38-37. But then the deputy speaker, amid protest from the opposition, delayed announcing the tally till a ruling party member voted against it, making the figure 38-38. CPI(M) members strongly objected to this late voting. Later, Acharya withdrew his amendment on the finance minister Jaswant Singh’s assurance about retaining government control. The bill was eventually passed.

FOSTERING DEINDUSTRIALISATION

During the discussion on the IDBI Bill, Rupchand Pal, CPI(M), described the government’s step as disastrous to self-reliance and said the IDBI had inherited a huge corpus of non-performing assets of the order of Rs 15,000 crore because of the government’s wrong policy. Development financing is largely dependent on government support. But, Pal asked, what will happen after the bill was passed? Will the new entity be able to fulfil its obligations?

The government is out to destroy the economic base of the country and is fostering de-industrialisation, Pal charged. In order to protect the health of this organisation, it needs more professionalism, better technology and the government’s considered support. Since the overall industrial scene is gloomy, we need to remember the relevance of developmental finance institutions. They must not be dismantled. The government must extend its full support to them. But today the IDBI has lost the leading position it once had. The IDBI must have more flexibility about lending and earning interest. Pal concluded with the demand that the government must incorporate all the positive suggestions made in the house.

DOUBLE STANDARD ON CORRUPTION

On the day, the Ajit Jogi audiotape controversy forced an adjournment in both the houses till the afternoon. Congress members referred to the sting operations that had exposed some ruling party leaders.

Both the houses discussed Dilip Singh Judev’s resignation from the council of ministers. The CPI(M)’s Somnath Chatterjee in Lok Sabha and Nilotpal Basu in Rajya Sabha joined the discussions. Chatterjee lambasted the government, saying he was not surprised at the prime minister’s tongue in check observation. He said this regime has become synonymous with worst forms of manipulation. It has unfolded a saga of unlimited corruption, sleaze, political vendetta, nepotism, favouritism and distortion of this country’s political and moral fabric. It has communalised the socio-political life of this country, pauperised the people and glamorised corruption. Administration has reached its nadir due to the regime’s double standard. Today, governance means an opportunistic alliance that believes in give and take; this is the whole basis of this government’s survival. Today, masses look at politicians with disbelief. The principles of morality and probity have been given a go-by. This is the shameful, and also worrisome, situation today. Even if somebody is caught with his pants down, there is a concerted attempt to defend him. The country wants to know: has this government got any conscience?

Chatterjee said the prime minister’s statement has concealed more than it revealed. The government deliberately misled the people about the true role of the CBI that has become a tool in its hands. The gentleman whose role we are discussing was seen flattering the prime minister and deputy prime minister all through the election campaign. He was put on the dais and eulogised as a paragon of virtue, one who was wronged.

The CPI(M) leader condemned all acts of corruption and impropriety in public life, and demanded strictest action according to the law. But he said in the present case there was a deliberate cover up operation. He then asked the prime minister as to what the scope of inquiry was. Who dictated the CBI’s course of inquiry regarding authenticity of the Judev tape and about the persons responsible? What did the inquiry from November 17 to December 10 say? The CBI has not taken any steps to interrogate the persons involved. What is special in this case is that the gentleman involved belongs to the BJP that was to face an election. The deputy prime minister said Judev was being framed, that the tape was manipulated. This could be a ploy to influence the CBI. But if there was nothing wrong, why did the prime minister ask Judev to resign? If the CBI had pursued the normal process of inquiry on the basis of a prima facie case, it should have arrested Judev, issued warrant against him and frozen his bank accounts.

Can we forget what this government did through the CBI in the case of Tehelka? Chatterjee asked. The Tehelka organisation has been destroyed; its web-site has been closed; its owner is deep in debt. Two Tehelka investigators have their lives destroyed. Its staff has been harassed, humiliated and arrested. Many cases have been launched against them while the ministers are sitting here and glibly talking about morality. This is the worst type of cover up operation ever undertaken in a civilised country. The future of this country cannot be left to the people who apply double standard in such cases. Chatterjee then forcefully demanded appointment of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Judev affair.

MAKING MOCKERY OF LEGISLATURE

Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill 2003 on December 9. The CPI(M)’s Basudeb Acharya, moving his disapproval motion against the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated by the president on September 8, said there was no urgency to promulgate it. The government says the interest rates were falling in the market and there was an urgent need to revive the interest rates payable by or to the assessees under the Income Tax Act 1961. The speaker had observed that all bills to be introduced in the house must be sent to and scrutinised by the standing committee. But when an ordinance is promulgated, there is no scope for its scrutiny by the committee. Acharya asked: why did the government set up this wrong precedent?

On the day, Lok Sabha also passed the Representation of the People (Second Amendment) Bill 2003. During the discussion, Varkala Radhakrishnan of the CPI(M) strongly opposed the promulgation of an ordinance, saying the practice makes the legislature a rubber stamp of the executive. For administrative purposes, one single district in union territories may be divided into two or three. It is the law department’s duty to see that the election law is also amended accordingly. Radhakrishnan asked: Are we here to approve everything that you do and to put in our signature?

INDUSTRIES BEING DECIMATED

On December 8, Rajya Sabha passed the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2003. Strongly opposing it, the CPI(M)’s Prasanta Chatterjee said his party had also opposed the bill earlier when a discussion had taken place on it, and still maintains its position. Now, the subject of electricity is not going to remain in the concurrent list. The limited powers vested with state governments are thus being taken away. Tariff subsidy has been withdrawn. There was a system that those consuming more power, were paying more. The additional revenue thus generated was spent as subsidy for the poor and lower middle class consumers. This subsidy is being completely withdrawn now. Allowing the multinationals and private sector to buy the state electricity boards has been justified on the pretext that these are commercially not viable.

The present bill provides relief to industrialists and big business houses, while burdening the poor and middle class consumers. This will also play havoc with the agriculture sector, particularly harming the poor and middle peasantry. The bill ensures a minimum 16 per cent profit to foreign power companies. Many have often argued that private companies are run very efficiently. But what happened to Dabhol project in Maharashtra should be an eye opener. The government is still capitulating to the multinationals who are out to grab our power sector, Chatterjee said.

During the Lok Sabha discussion on the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Repeal Bill 2001, Varkala Radhakrishnan said the government did not take into consideration the opposition’s proposals about precisely defining sickness. In spite of repeated requests from public sector units, the government turned a deaf ear to the developments taking place in sick units. It was its bounden duty to constitute benches to effectively deal with the cases of sickness. For the last 15 years, cases are pending without a decision in the BIFR, leading to a catastrophe in these units. But the government wants to transfer the whole edifice to the private sector. So the workers are at a loss. Also, the biggest unit in Kerala is getting privatised, leading to unemployment of thousands of workers. But the government did not come forward to rescue the unit. The once flourishing KELTROL is now running in loss and the government proposes to privatise it. All this happened because of inordinate delay in implementing the provisions of the Sick Industrial Companies Act. Now the government proposes to repeal the act itself and that will also land many units into trouble because the bill does not take care of the probable consequences, of the questions of gratuity and provident fund, etc. Radhakrishnan then said the bill has no provision to safeguard the workers’ interests and asked the government to take abundant caution in dealing with the cases of workers’ pending dues.

In Rajya Sabha, Sarla Maheswari, CPI(M), raised the issue of attack on  the autonomy of Women Study Centres. She said there are 20 such centres in  the country, which were set up for the overall development of women on the basis of global experiences. Now, their names and basic characteristics are being changed. The basic concept behind setting up these centres was to study and encourage the role of women in politics, economy, agriculture, industry etc. Now, besides changing the name of these centres to Women and Family Study Centres, the government seeks to bring them under the control of an advisory committee with representatives from the department of women and child development and of the social welfare boards. She appealed to the house to reject this step of the HRD ministry.