The Trinamool Congress on Saturday said it would not nominate a member to the joint parliamentary committee that is to scrutinise three bills that enable the removal of jailed ministers, including the Prime Minister and chief ministers, terming the exercise “a farce”.
While the INDIA parties have opposed the bills as an attack on federalism, they know that the most important of them requires a constitutional amendment and cannot be passed because the BJP lacks the numbers in the Houses. A view has therefore emerged in support of boycotting the JPC as a mark of protest.
Indications from the Congress, CPM and the Samajwadi Party were that they were yet to decide whether to join the JPC.
“We oppose(d) the 130th Constitution amendment bill at the stage of introduction, and in our view the JPC is a farce. Therefore, we are not nominating anyone from AITC,” a statement issued from the office of Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek
Banerjee said.
When Union home minister Amit Shah introduced the three bills on Wednesday, Opposition members had torn copies and hurled the fragments at him.
The bills allow the removal of the Prime Minister, chief ministers and other ministers if held in custody for 30 consecutive days. The government claims they are a measure to curb corruption.
Two of the bills relate to Jammu and Kashmir and other Union Territories while the third, applying to the country as a whole, requires a constitutional amendment.
They have all been referred for scrutiny by a JPC, which has to submit its report during the winter session of Parliament, scheduled to begin in the third week of November.
“Abhishek rightly thinks there is no reason to waste time by appointing members to the JPC and considers it a waste of time by the Narendra Modi government. If the bills cannot be passed, then what is the need for the JPC?” a senior Trinamool leader said.
He said Abhishek had earlier, too, condemned the bills as a “gimmick”. The INDIA bloc believes these bills are a government ploy to intimidate the Opposition and deflect attention from the controversy generated by the Election Commission’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had lambasted the BJP over the three bills, claiming they were “draconian” and “a death knell for democracy and federalism in India”.
Asked whether the decision to stay away from the JPC was taken after consulting the INDIA allies, a Trinamool source said the party had taken the decision on its own.
“There is nothing to discuss with the INDIA bloc members as it’s any political party’s right to decide on participation in any committee, including the JPC,” the source said.
“We don’t know the stances of the INDIA bloc partners, but the Samajwadi Party ison board.”
Samajwadi sources, however, said while there had been initial indications about keeping away from the JPC, some in the party held a different view. The party, an insider said, would soon make its stand clear.
A senior Congress leader did not respond when asked whether the party would join the JPC, appearing to suggest a decision was yet to be made.
CPM general secretary M.A. Baby told The Telegraph: “We are yet to take a call. We will have a meeting in one or two days to decide whether to send nominees to the JPC.”
The BJP castigated the Trinamool decision.
“The TMC fears these three bills, which will ensure the removal of arrested ministers, including chief ministers and even the Prime Minister,” state BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya said.
“They are stepping out of the JPC out of fear. This is the second round of panic after the SIR.”