Even as the parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday sought help of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ensure a smooth budget session of parliament, an emboldened opposition after BJP's debacle in Delhi elections, is in no mood to give respite to the government. The opposition is all set to confront the government on the issue of promulgation of ordinances, especially the amendments brought on land law and the nuclear agreement reached out with the US during the recent visit of president Barack Obama. Realising the washing out of the winter session, prime minister Narendra Modi at an all-party meeting urged the opposition parties to ensure effective functioning of parliament
At the meeting, Naidu gave details of the 44-item agenda of government which included financial, legislative and non-legislative business. He said that of the six ordinances to be converted into Acts of parliament by April 5, 2015, there has been a broad consensus on five of them relating to Citizenship for Overseas Indians, Introduction of e-rikshaws, allocation of coal blocks and non-coal mines through open bidding. On the Insurance Ordinance, he said that further to the suggestion of opposition parties, a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha has been set up and the same had submitted its report which amounts to a broad view of the House and there is no reason for two views in the matter.
He also offered to address concerns on the land acquisition ordinance, noting that several state governments cutting across party line had expressed difficulties in land acquisition for development projects under the Act of 2013 and sought modifications. "I would like to assure you all that the government is always willing to sit with opposition to resolve any differences on any issue," Naidu said.
The Congress will be leading the opposition parties' joint protest. It has announced to stall both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to insist on revocation of the land ordinance. The government is equally determined to push the ordinance-related bills as its ministers are even threatening to convene a joint session of Parliament if the opposition by virtue of a majority in Rajya Sabha stalls it.
The Congress has a political stake in opposing this backdoor entry, as it was through the initiative of its vice-president Rahul Gandhi that the UPA-II government had enacted the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act in 2013 to replace the 119-year old acquisition law. Former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh of Congress, who was active in mobilising all parties to get the new law passed in 2013, said this "black ordinance" will completely eliminate interests of farmers and those dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.
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