Image: X@/Sandosh_CPI
NEW DELHI: The sentiment for a boycott of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the bill on dismissal of jailed ministers is growing, with Communist Party of India (CPI) on Tuesday saying that the parliamentary panels are a sham and serve no purpose under BJP govt. The CPI stance after boycott decision by four opposition parties will increase the pressure on Congress to follow suit.CPI MP Sandosh Kumar said the JPC on Waqf bill has proven lucidly that such panels are just an attempt to show collective scrutiny of the bill when they are actually an eyewash. “There was a time when members on the JPC could summon documents, scrutinise details and then make contributions. Now, the opposition’s suggestions are rejected out of hand. The JPC on Waqf bill is an example. It is of no value,” he told TOI .While the Left parties don’t have the strength to be in the parliamentary panels and depend on the govt’s goodwill to find a place in them, the CPI opinion carries weight since it could be seen as representative of other smaller Left constituents.The sentiment of an integral part of the opposition INDIA bloc follows announcements by TMC, Samajwadi Party, Sena UBT and AAP that they will not participate in the JPC that is being formed to scrutinise the controversial bills, including the constitutional amendment. The offensive from the bigger INDIA bloc parties has forced Congress to take a relook at its inclination to join the proposed JPC in the interest of opposition unity. There is regret in Congress that compulsion of unity may nudge the party into following the cue of TMC-SP-Shiv Sena, arguing it will result in complications for the future, as well as when the three controversial bills come up in the parliament for discussion.Many key INDIA bloc parties like DMK, NCP (SP) and CPM have not spoken out yet, since they seem to be waiting for Congress to take a final decision. A Left outfit MP said no party would want to stand alone on the issue that will be viewed as a test of unity of the bloc.This has triggered speculation that a complete opposition boycott of the JPC is possible. While this marks a major division in the anti-BJP ranks, for a change it is not a split that ends up favouring BJP, but one of competitive hostility to the govt’s initiative. “We have to know how far we should go, because these are important issues where some points have to be put on record,” a pro-JPC MP said.
