NEW DELHI: Chiming with the arguments of Trinamool Congress and others for boycott of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the bill on dismissal of jailed ministers and chief ministers, Congress accused the governing BJP of using parliamentary committees to bulldoze legislations without giving any space to arguments of opposition parties. It lamented that govt is “having its way and say both”, which is not acceptable in a democracy like India.Congress breaking of silence on the JPC after the boycott announced by TMC, Samajwadi Party, Sena UBT and AAP suggests that the largest INDIA bloc player may be veering towards the view of its allies, even as it has not announced a decision on whether it will participate in the crucial panel. Amid uncertainty, Parliament has not notified the committee despite a passage of nearly 20 days.Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told TOI, “In a parliamentary democracy, opposition can also put forward its views in committees. But look at the way waqf bill was passed in the JPC. In these committees, opposition parties are not being allowed to raise issues. It may be an extreme characterisation by me. But the fact is that the govt side is bulldozing bills. In a healthy democracy, it is not so.”The argument echoes the TMC-led ‘boycott bloc’, which recently announced it will not join the JPC because such panels have become a BJP “stunt” to use its majority to force bills. Congress has not yet given its view on the JPC, even though there has been an internal opinion that the party should join the panel.Buttressing his charge against BJP, Venugopal said the Modi govt did not allow a discussion on special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar in the recent Monsoon session of Parliament, despite over 240 MPs demanding it. “Even the 130th constitutional amendment bill presented by the home minister was passed amid din. Do you expect this in a democracy like India? Regrettably, it is not the old era where Parliament discussed all the issues. However, we feel there should be a consensus among all opposition parties on the JPC. We will discuss it with INDIA bloc members and appropriate decisions will be taken,” he said.It is to be seen if TMC, SP, Sena UBT and AAP can be persuaded to rescind their decision to boycott. Else, it may mean that Congress would also join them. DMK, NCP, CPM are said to be waiting for Congress to take a call. TMC started the push for boycott after the bill was tabled in Lok Sabha, but Congress and some allies were confident that their view of joining the panel would prevail. But since then, the ‘boycott bloc’ has grown. This seems to have nudged Congress too.
