In his recent interview to Time magazine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi painted a rosy picture of the functioning of Parliament in the year since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power. Modi reeled off figures to underline how productivity in Parliament had risen dramatically and that as many as 40 bills had been passed, conveying a “very positive picture of legislative action”.
As the ruling alliance completes one year in office later this month, it, indeed, had several reasons to be pleased with itself. Not only was it able to pass 24 bills during the ongoing budget session of Parliament, the best figure in last five years, it also succeeded in dividing the opposition to ensure the passage of the Insurance Bill as well as the Mines and Minerals Bill and the Coal Bill.
But for all the bravado, there was no denying that the Modi government is chafing that despite its majority in the Lok Sabha and its success rate in securing the passage of important legislations, it was unable to push through key legislation like the Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill. A determined opposition forced the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government to refer both these bills to separate parliamentary panels for further scrutiny. The government may have had its way in most cases but the opposition was also not lagging behind in having its say.
The ruling alliance was particularly keen on the early passage of these two bills as it wanted to send out an unambiguous message that the prime minister means business and that the government is moving ahead with the reforms agenda. It would have helped to list these bills among its success stories when the government celebrates its first anniversary in a few days.
Misplaced overconfidence
Having won a massive mandate in the last general election, the BJP-led government believed it would have an easy ride in Parliament. It thought its task would be made simple by the low morale of Congress members after their party was reduced to a 44-member rump in the Lok Sabha. NDA floor managers were convinced that they would be helped by the disarray in the opposition ranks as the parties’ state-level rivalries would ensure that they would not come together to put up a united front against the government.
As it happened, the government’s overconfidence was misplaced. In its euphoria over its majority in the Lok Sabha, the Modi government forgot that it could not have its way in the Rajya Sabha where the numbers are stacked in favour of the opposition.
It got its first jolt when the opposition got together in the winter session of Parliament to force the ruling alliance to delay the passage of the insurance bill and put the government on the mat following the provocative statements made by BJP ministers and MPs on conversions and other issues.
“The opposition did very well in taking on the government on its communal agenda like ghar wapsi and the attacks on churches,” remarked D Raja of the Communist Party of India. Parties that are pitted against each other in the states – such as the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, and the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties in West Bengal – sank their differences to corner the Modi government on its communal agenda.
A BJP minister had told Scroll.in that the government could exploit the differences in the opposition on economic policies but it was difficult to divide them on the issue of Hindutva.
Inflection points
The turning point came after the BJP’s rout in the Delhi assembly polls and the growing public perception that the land acquisition ordinance, amending the bill passed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, was not in the interests of farmers and was being pushed by the ruling alliance to oblige the corporate sector.
“The land bill was the trigger for bringing together opposition parties,” remarked former Union minister Jairam Ramesh.
Congress MPs conceded that they were directionless for the first six months after the Lok Sabha election but came into their own after the Delhi assembly poll when they realised that the Modi government was not invincible.
Realising that the land bill could be used to put the BJP on the defensive, the opposition parties, led by the Congress, upped the ante against the Modi government. Inside Parliament opposition parties resisted efforts to create fissures in their ranks, making it clear that they would not support the NDA government’s version of the land bill. At the same time, the Congress took to the streets outside Parliament to paint the Modi government as being “anti-farmer and pro-corporate”. The return of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in a new energised avatar emboldened the grand old party to shed its initial despondency and get into the opposition mode. The second half of the budget session witnessed several surcharged scenes in the Lok Sabha when a combative Rahul Gandhi locked horns with the ruling alliance over the land bill and the scrapping of a food park project in his constituency Amethi.
Bumpy road ahead
Raja and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi maintained that there was no formal move for floor coordination among the opposition parties but the land bill proved to be a point of convergence. This show of unity, according to them, was the result of the government’s arrogance and poor floor management. The ruling alliance came under attack over its decision to promulgate ordinances without consultations with the opposition parties while its move to bypass legislative scrutiny of bills by standing committees came in for sharp criticism from the opposition.
Having succeeded in cornering the government on the land bill, the Congress demonstrated its clout in the Upper House again by blocking the GST Bill even though the NDA was able to secure the support of the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal. The Congress showed its strength further when it agreed to support the bill ratifying the Indo-Bangla land agreement only after the government went back on its earlier decision to exclude Assam from the land swap pact.
As the budget session came to a close on Wednesday, it was clear that except for the land Bill, the opposition parties were not united on other issues. Well aware of these differences in the opposition ranks, Modi stepped in to woo the more vulnerable parties. He made peace with Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on his recent visit to Kolkata and reached out to his old friend AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa by calling her up after she was acquitted in the disproportionate assets case earlier this week.
As far as the Congress is concerned, the battle lines have been drawn. Both party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are leading the charge against the Modi government.The Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal will also sharpen their attack against the BJP as the year-end Bihar assembly elections draw close. In fact, the outcome of this poll is crucial as it will determine the index of unity among the opposition parties. If the BJP fails to dethrone Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, it would further sharpen the divide between the government and the opposition whose leaders will band together to put further pressure on the ruling alliance. Alternatively, if the BJP captures Bihar, the party will launch an all-out offensive against its political rivals both inside and outside Parliament as it begins preparations for the next round of assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala and Assam.
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As the ruling alliance completes one year in office later this month, it, indeed, had several reasons to be pleased with itself. Not only was it able to pass 24 bills during the ongoing budget session of Parliament, the best figure in last five years, it also succeeded in dividing the opposition to ensure the passage of the Insurance Bill as well as the Mines and Minerals Bill and the Coal Bill.
But for all the bravado, there was no denying that the Modi government is chafing that despite its majority in the Lok Sabha and its success rate in securing the passage of important legislations, it was unable to push through key legislation like the Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill. A determined opposition forced the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government to refer both these bills to separate parliamentary panels for further scrutiny. The government may have had its way in most cases but the opposition was also not lagging behind in having its say.
The ruling alliance was particularly keen on the early passage of these two bills as it wanted to send out an unambiguous message that the prime minister means business and that the government is moving ahead with the reforms agenda. It would have helped to list these bills among its success stories when the government celebrates its first anniversary in a few days.
Misplaced overconfidence
Having won a massive mandate in the last general election, the BJP-led government believed it would have an easy ride in Parliament. It thought its task would be made simple by the low morale of Congress members after their party was reduced to a 44-member rump in the Lok Sabha. NDA floor managers were convinced that they would be helped by the disarray in the opposition ranks as the parties’ state-level rivalries would ensure that they would not come together to put up a united front against the government.
As it happened, the government’s overconfidence was misplaced. In its euphoria over its majority in the Lok Sabha, the Modi government forgot that it could not have its way in the Rajya Sabha where the numbers are stacked in favour of the opposition.
It got its first jolt when the opposition got together in the winter session of Parliament to force the ruling alliance to delay the passage of the insurance bill and put the government on the mat following the provocative statements made by BJP ministers and MPs on conversions and other issues.
“The opposition did very well in taking on the government on its communal agenda like ghar wapsi and the attacks on churches,” remarked D Raja of the Communist Party of India. Parties that are pitted against each other in the states – such as the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, and the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties in West Bengal – sank their differences to corner the Modi government on its communal agenda.
A BJP minister had told Scroll.in that the government could exploit the differences in the opposition on economic policies but it was difficult to divide them on the issue of Hindutva.
Inflection points
The turning point came after the BJP’s rout in the Delhi assembly polls and the growing public perception that the land acquisition ordinance, amending the bill passed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, was not in the interests of farmers and was being pushed by the ruling alliance to oblige the corporate sector.
“The land bill was the trigger for bringing together opposition parties,” remarked former Union minister Jairam Ramesh.
Congress MPs conceded that they were directionless for the first six months after the Lok Sabha election but came into their own after the Delhi assembly poll when they realised that the Modi government was not invincible.
Realising that the land bill could be used to put the BJP on the defensive, the opposition parties, led by the Congress, upped the ante against the Modi government. Inside Parliament opposition parties resisted efforts to create fissures in their ranks, making it clear that they would not support the NDA government’s version of the land bill. At the same time, the Congress took to the streets outside Parliament to paint the Modi government as being “anti-farmer and pro-corporate”. The return of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in a new energised avatar emboldened the grand old party to shed its initial despondency and get into the opposition mode. The second half of the budget session witnessed several surcharged scenes in the Lok Sabha when a combative Rahul Gandhi locked horns with the ruling alliance over the land bill and the scrapping of a food park project in his constituency Amethi.
Bumpy road ahead
Raja and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi maintained that there was no formal move for floor coordination among the opposition parties but the land bill proved to be a point of convergence. This show of unity, according to them, was the result of the government’s arrogance and poor floor management. The ruling alliance came under attack over its decision to promulgate ordinances without consultations with the opposition parties while its move to bypass legislative scrutiny of bills by standing committees came in for sharp criticism from the opposition.
Having succeeded in cornering the government on the land bill, the Congress demonstrated its clout in the Upper House again by blocking the GST Bill even though the NDA was able to secure the support of the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal. The Congress showed its strength further when it agreed to support the bill ratifying the Indo-Bangla land agreement only after the government went back on its earlier decision to exclude Assam from the land swap pact.
As the budget session came to a close on Wednesday, it was clear that except for the land Bill, the opposition parties were not united on other issues. Well aware of these differences in the opposition ranks, Modi stepped in to woo the more vulnerable parties. He made peace with Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on his recent visit to Kolkata and reached out to his old friend AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa by calling her up after she was acquitted in the disproportionate assets case earlier this week.
As far as the Congress is concerned, the battle lines have been drawn. Both party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are leading the charge against the Modi government.The Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal will also sharpen their attack against the BJP as the year-end Bihar assembly elections draw close. In fact, the outcome of this poll is crucial as it will determine the index of unity among the opposition parties. If the BJP fails to dethrone Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, it would further sharpen the divide between the government and the opposition whose leaders will band together to put further pressure on the ruling alliance. Alternatively, if the BJP captures Bihar, the party will launch an all-out offensive against its political rivals both inside and outside Parliament as it begins preparations for the next round of assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala and Assam.