Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appeared to be in a conciliatory mood as they get ready for yet another face-off with an upbeat opposition in the winter session of Parliament beginning on Thursday.
While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu have made several placatory statements over the past two weeks promising to discuss all outstanding issues with the opposition, Prime Minister Modi also reached out to his political opponents.
In an unusual and uncharacteristic gesture, Modi put in a brief appearance at a session-eve all-party meeting convened by Naidu on Wednesday and sought the opposition’s cooperation in the smooth functioning of Parliament.
"There are great expectations from Parliament... Let's make it function," Modi told the meeting, which was attended by the leaders of all political parties. Making a strong pitch for the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which aims to get rid of the current patchwork of indirect taxes and to improve tax compliances, Modi assured opposition leaders that the finance minister would meet them to address their concerns on this crucial legislation.
A mellower approach
The humiliating defeat suffered by the BJP in the recent Bihar assembly polls has clearly mellowed the party leadership. Modi’s outreach and the tone adopted by his ministers is a complete departure from the past sessions when the government would openly flaunt its numerical strength in the Lok Sabha to dismiss the opposition’s demands and objections, overlooking the critical fact that the NDA is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.
“They should not forget people have given us the mandate to rule,” was the common response from the NDA ministers whenever opposition parties derailed proceedings or pressed for changes in legislation. The government was furious when the opposition delayed the insurance Bill and stalled the amended land Bill, which eventually forced the ruling alliance to abandon the contentious legislation.
On the other hand, the opposition parties constantly complained that the government made no effort to forge a consensus or take them into confidence on key policy issues. It is perhaps in response to this criticism that Modi made yet another departure when he told the all-party meeting that he has asked environment minister Prakash Javadekar to brief the opposition parties on India’s stand at the upcoming Paris climate change summit.
The government felt the need to change its attitude as it realises that it cannot afford to waste another Parliament session in a slugfest with the opposition. It is critical for Modi to push through the government’s legislative agenda as his personal reputation is at stake here since he rode to power with the promise that he would fix the ailing economy through big bang reforms, increase foreign investments and improve the climate of doing business.
After 18 months in power, Modi has to start delivering on his promises. He is under scrutiny by investors both at home and abroad who will judge him on his ability to meet his commitments.
A disappointing start
Modi has already disappointed the corporate sector with his failure to amend the land acquisition laws to make it easier for the industry to buy land for their projects. His government is now on test with regard to another economic reform – the GST Bill, which has been stalled by the Congress. It is imperative for the government to secure the passage of this Bill in the winter session or it will lose precious time if it does not succeed now. The matter will then be pushed to the next session, which will be devoted to discussions on budgetary proposals.
The question is: will the government’s charm offensive work? The Congress has steadfastly maintained that it is ready to support the GST bill provided the government incorporates the three amendments it has proposed. Stating that there has been no structured discussion on this issue so far, Congress leaders said they are willing to deliberate on the various provisions of the Bill provided the government takes the initiative.
“We are all for cooperation but it depends on the government to accommodate the concerns of the opposition parties and ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
The intolerance debate
While the GST Bill is the main focus for the government in this session, the opposition wants to pin down the ruling alliance on the issue of growing acts of intolerance. The Trinamool Congress, the Left parties and the Congress have submitted notices for a debate and the adoption of a resolution on this subject. While the NDA will be willing to a discussion on this issue, the demand for a resolution could lead to bickering between the opposition and the ruling alliance as the government will obviously not be willing to criticise itself.
However, given the present mood in the government, Naidu appeared willing to accommodate the opposition. "The government is ready to listen to the Opposition's demands on various issues,” he said. “We have sought support on GST. There is demand for a government resolution on intolerance. The government doesn't agree with this perception but will do what can be done under parliament norms."
While the regular session will commence on Monday, the first two days have been set aside to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution and to pay homage to its author Babasaheb Ambedkar. The government is hoping that a generalised discussion on the Constitution will dilute the opposition attack on intolerance. However, the opposition has other plans as it will use this debate to focus on the Dadri killing, the murders of writers and the spate of writers and filmmakers returning their national awards to mount an offensive against the government for its failure to protect the Constitution.
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While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu have made several placatory statements over the past two weeks promising to discuss all outstanding issues with the opposition, Prime Minister Modi also reached out to his political opponents.
In an unusual and uncharacteristic gesture, Modi put in a brief appearance at a session-eve all-party meeting convened by Naidu on Wednesday and sought the opposition’s cooperation in the smooth functioning of Parliament.
"There are great expectations from Parliament... Let's make it function," Modi told the meeting, which was attended by the leaders of all political parties. Making a strong pitch for the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which aims to get rid of the current patchwork of indirect taxes and to improve tax compliances, Modi assured opposition leaders that the finance minister would meet them to address their concerns on this crucial legislation.
A mellower approach
The humiliating defeat suffered by the BJP in the recent Bihar assembly polls has clearly mellowed the party leadership. Modi’s outreach and the tone adopted by his ministers is a complete departure from the past sessions when the government would openly flaunt its numerical strength in the Lok Sabha to dismiss the opposition’s demands and objections, overlooking the critical fact that the NDA is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.
“They should not forget people have given us the mandate to rule,” was the common response from the NDA ministers whenever opposition parties derailed proceedings or pressed for changes in legislation. The government was furious when the opposition delayed the insurance Bill and stalled the amended land Bill, which eventually forced the ruling alliance to abandon the contentious legislation.
On the other hand, the opposition parties constantly complained that the government made no effort to forge a consensus or take them into confidence on key policy issues. It is perhaps in response to this criticism that Modi made yet another departure when he told the all-party meeting that he has asked environment minister Prakash Javadekar to brief the opposition parties on India’s stand at the upcoming Paris climate change summit.
The government felt the need to change its attitude as it realises that it cannot afford to waste another Parliament session in a slugfest with the opposition. It is critical for Modi to push through the government’s legislative agenda as his personal reputation is at stake here since he rode to power with the promise that he would fix the ailing economy through big bang reforms, increase foreign investments and improve the climate of doing business.
After 18 months in power, Modi has to start delivering on his promises. He is under scrutiny by investors both at home and abroad who will judge him on his ability to meet his commitments.
A disappointing start
Modi has already disappointed the corporate sector with his failure to amend the land acquisition laws to make it easier for the industry to buy land for their projects. His government is now on test with regard to another economic reform – the GST Bill, which has been stalled by the Congress. It is imperative for the government to secure the passage of this Bill in the winter session or it will lose precious time if it does not succeed now. The matter will then be pushed to the next session, which will be devoted to discussions on budgetary proposals.
The question is: will the government’s charm offensive work? The Congress has steadfastly maintained that it is ready to support the GST bill provided the government incorporates the three amendments it has proposed. Stating that there has been no structured discussion on this issue so far, Congress leaders said they are willing to deliberate on the various provisions of the Bill provided the government takes the initiative.
“We are all for cooperation but it depends on the government to accommodate the concerns of the opposition parties and ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
The intolerance debate
While the GST Bill is the main focus for the government in this session, the opposition wants to pin down the ruling alliance on the issue of growing acts of intolerance. The Trinamool Congress, the Left parties and the Congress have submitted notices for a debate and the adoption of a resolution on this subject. While the NDA will be willing to a discussion on this issue, the demand for a resolution could lead to bickering between the opposition and the ruling alliance as the government will obviously not be willing to criticise itself.
However, given the present mood in the government, Naidu appeared willing to accommodate the opposition. "The government is ready to listen to the Opposition's demands on various issues,” he said. “We have sought support on GST. There is demand for a government resolution on intolerance. The government doesn't agree with this perception but will do what can be done under parliament norms."
While the regular session will commence on Monday, the first two days have been set aside to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution and to pay homage to its author Babasaheb Ambedkar. The government is hoping that a generalised discussion on the Constitution will dilute the opposition attack on intolerance. However, the opposition has other plans as it will use this debate to focus on the Dadri killing, the murders of writers and the spate of writers and filmmakers returning their national awards to mount an offensive against the government for its failure to protect the Constitution.