If ‘CAA is so important, why haven’t rules been framed? Abdul Khaleque asks at India Today Conclave - East

Assam Congress’ Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi today at the India Today Conclave -East said that “the more you sweat in the Parliament, the less you bleed on the streets.”

Abdul Khaleque, another Congress MP Assam, pinned the “disruptions” on the ruling party’s aversion to holding discussions without rushing Bills through.

Khaleque mentioned the debacle over the Citizenship Amendment Act which was hurriedly passed amid protests across Northeast India in 2020. India enacted the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, though the Government is yet to frame the rules of the Act. The law is aimed at naturalization of non-Muslim ‘minorities’ from six neighbouring Muslim-majority countries.

“So many people – who came from Pakistan, Afghanistan – went back as they didn’t get citizenship. You love them so much, you want it so much. Why haven’t you been able to make rules?”, he queried.

Speaking at a session titled ‘The Art of Building Consensus in an Age of Disruptions’, Bordoloi rued that disruptions have taken place because of a lack of sittings at the Parliament.

“For 3 decades, from 50s, 60s, and 70s, the average days of sittings was 121 days. But it has been gradually declining. The Opposition do not get opportunities to ventilate,” Bodoloi said, adding that although 71% bills were referred to standing committees and select committees during the UPA-II regime, the percentage has dropped to less than 11% (in the ongoing session of Parliament).

“We have to articulate, we have to ventilate. If the opportunities are not given, there are bound to be disruptions and agitations everywhere. All these things have to be addressed and consensus has to be built,” he added

Recalling the past, Bordoloi recalled the instance when Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a young Opposition MP was able to convince then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to convene a special session of Parliament during the Chinese aggression of 1962.

On the other hand, Bordoloi said, his questions on the ongoing tensions at the China-Arunachal border have been disallowed despite the issue being raised by a BJP MP (Tapir Gao).

Aparajita Sarangi, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Odisha, said that the NDA government’s 8-year tenure should not be termed an “age of disruptions” as the government is “trying to build consensus.”
Asked about the ruling party’s aversion to discussions with the Opposition before passing Bills, she said the PM Modi-led government deserves a “pat on the back for that” as the former government under Manmohan Singh suffered ‘death by committee.’

“We are into Amrit Kal. And for that matter, we have to think ahead. And when we think ahead of our time, we know there would be resistance, there would be opposition. And in these 8 years, to every action, rather positive action of Prime Minister Modi, there is an equal and opposite and negative reaction from the opposition.”
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP lamented that “disruptions” are caused due to a number of reasons.

“First of all, the time constraint. Opposition do not get much time to ventilate the grievances of the people. There was a time, I mean in the 1950’s – when the Parliament had sessions for 140 days, 150 days, 160 days. Now, it is half,” he said, adding that the parliamentary bills have also become redundant.
Ray further alleged that there is no attempt by the ruling dispensation to have dialogues with the various Opposition parties.

The fifth edition of the India Today Conclave East kicked off on Monday, July 4 with renowned leaders and personalities from across the fields gracing the platform and exchanging ideas. The line-up for the two-day event includes West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, RPSG Group chairperson Sanjiv Goenka, and TMC MP Mahua Moitra.