[Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power on the avowed promise of providing a corruption free government. Now, when a cabinet minister and two of BJP’s chief ministers have serious allegations of corruption, impropriety and conflict of interest against them, he should, in keeping with his own promise, break his cynical maun vrat and make a statement in Parliament. In that statement he should assure Parliament that all the allegations will be impartially investigated, and until the accused are fully exonerated they shall, in consonance with the highest traditions of public life, which he and his party have vehemently espoused, tender their resignation. Parliament will begin to function from that very moment.]
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-edit-page/bjps-convenient-amnesia-why-the-onus-for-making-parliament-function-rests-with-the-ruling-party/ BJP’s convenient amnesia: Why the onus for making Parliament function rests with the ruling party August 1, 2015, 12:00 AM IST Pavan K Varma in TOI Edit Page | Edit Page, India | TOI My good friend M J Akbar has written in these columns (July 27) about the need for Parliament to function. I entirely agree with him. The sorry spectacle of the highest temple of our democracy repeatedly subjected to noisy disruptions is hardly an edifying one. It is instructive to note that in its entire history the House of Commons has not been adjourned for a single day. Soon, however, we may create a record whereby not a single day goes when our Parliament is not adjourned! Why has Parliament not functioned for the last few days? Is the current Opposition congenitally disruptive, especially in Rajya Sabha where its strength matters? If this was the case 48 Bills would not have been passed or considered in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling party is in a minority, including crucial legislations relating to coal, insurance and mines and minerals. On many of these laws the Opposition had reservations, but there was constructive cooperation with the Treasury benches keeping overall national interest in mind. The current impasse hinges entirely on one question: Has there been in Lalitgate, and the horrific Vyapam scam, verifiable evidence of corruption, impropriety and blatant conflict of interest? The honest answer appears to be an emphatic yes, and the facts have been in the public realm for weeks before Parliament resumed. However, BJP has decided to unethically brazen it out and deny all wrongdoing. No investigation by an independent agency has been ordered against foreign minister Sushma Swaraj or Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje. In the case of Vyapam, while chief minister Shivraj Chouhan has finally accepted CBI intervention, he continues to head the administration the agency will probe. None of them have been asked to resign. That should have been the morally correct thing to do as a first step; if exonerated they could be reinstated. That, at least, is what BJP wanted ministers in the UPA government to do. And that is what their own leader L K Advani did in 1996, when his name surfaced in the hawala scam. Advani immediately resigned his Lok Sabha seat, and stood (successfully) for re-election only in 1998 when his name was cleared. Parliament is also a forum of accountability and ironically, on corruption, it was BJP that said so most vociferously. In parliamentary practice amnesia may be convenient but precedents matter. Sushma Swaraj, as Opposition leader in the previous Lok Sabha, said that “not allowing Parliament to function is also a form of democracy, like any other form”. Arun Jaitley, her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha, publicly endorsed her sentiments. BJP made the demand for resignations first and discussions later into a cacophonic art form. Such an approach extended also to ministers who were only accused of alleged ‘impropriety’, like Ashwani Kumar. The Supreme Court did not reprimand him for any wrongdoing. But BJP did not allow Parliament to function for weeks until he resigned only to enable Parliament to function. When BJP was in Opposition, session upon session was wiped out without any work. Important bills, which BJP is pressing for now, were pending even then. Why such spectacular double standards today when the sides have been reversed? However, a blind policy of tit for tat is hardly the answer to make Parliament function. The impasse must be broken. I have a solution for consideration. ***Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power on the avowed promise of providing a corruption free government. Now, when a cabinet minister and two of BJP’s chief ministers have serious allegations of corruption, impropriety and conflict of interest against them, he should, in keeping with his own promise, break his cynical maun vrat and make a statement in Parliament.*** [Emphasis added.] ***In that statement he should assure Parliament that all the allegations will be impartially investigated, and until the accused are fully exonerated they shall, in consonance with the highest traditions of public life, which he and his party have vehemently espoused, tender their resignation. Parliament will begin to function from that very moment.*** [Emphasis added.] It is accepted parliamentary practice that the primary responsibility to make the House run lies with the Treasury benches. BJP itself has endlessly reiterated this. The initiative to break the impasse must, therefore, also come from the ruling party. A gesture of this nature would not shrink the PM’s acclaimed chest size, but add to it. It would not be ‘weak’ governance but good governance, and it is long overdue. The offer of ‘discussions’ has little meaning since BJP has, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, stubbornly maintained that no one is guilty. If the Opposition were to agree to a discussion, BJP would only reiterate its untenable position and seek to make counter allegations against Congress, which will lead nowhere since two wrongs don’t make one wrong right. Parliament is not a court of law, nor is discussion a substitute for investigation and action. The spectacle of a non-functioning Parliament greatly diminishes India’s democratic image. There are important laws waiting to be debated and enacted, including GST. BJP must enable Parliament to function by walking the talk when it claims the moral high ground. DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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