The government had to defer the withdrawal of three Bills — the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill and the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill — following protests by all Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha.
Though it claimed that deferring their withdrawal will not block the government from bringing fresh Bills of the same nature in the Upper House, the Opposition is determined not to allow the Centre to dilute key legislations with its majority in the Lok Sabha.
The Opposition is also apprehensive of the possibility before the government to hold a joint session of Parliament to pass key reform Bills. It argues that the government cannot call a joint session unless it disposes of pending Bills of similar nature in the Rajya Sabha.
“If the Bills were to be withdrawn, then why did you bring in an ordinance? The withdrawal is against the propriety of the House,” said the CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the withdrawal had become necessary as, in all the three Bills, ordinances had been proclaimed and the Bill substituting the ordinances had to be introduced. “The earlier law has become infructuous, but I believe there is an element of attachment to an infructuous legislation,” he added. A source in Parliament said technically the government can bring in any Bill even though it is of similar nature. “The problem is getting it passed in Rajya Sabha,” he said.
In the Lok Sabha, Tuesday had proved to be a day of raging dispute. TMC leader Saugata Roy said by removing the clauses on consent and social impact assessment, the Land Bill will sound the “death knell for farmers” and will be a “boon for corporates”. TRS members said while the PM talks about ‘co-operative federalism’, the views of CMs are not being taken.
Even as the Opposition was staging a walkout, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu tried to pacify them, saying the government is not trying to bulldoze anybody.
It is the Opposition that is “insulting democracy”, he said, adding that the “minority cannot dictate to the majority.”