Corruption haunts parliamentary proceedings
The parliamentary stalemate went on to its 8th day, as it witnessed on one of the greatest corruption scandals in Indian political history. The standstill followed the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report, tabled in parliament in mid-August. It had estimated a loss of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore in 57 coal mining blocks allocated to companies without auction from 2005 to 2009, when the current Prime Minister had held the coal portfolio.
Now, BJP as the opposition party is preventing parliamentary proceedings, demanding the PM’s resignation and rejected the government’s offer of discussion.
Earlier this week, BJP made it clear that they are not got going to move an inch until the PM renders his resignation. But political experts were critical of BJP’s move of disrupting parliamentary proceedings.
The lack of consensus in the Opposition camp is manifest. Two key players, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, have refused BJP's offer to formulate a joint strategy to corral the government on the Coalgate issue. But even some partners of the NDA, such as Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and JD-U have departed from BJP’s position.
Parliamentary obstruction should be avoided unless in the ‘rarest of rare cases’. This is the not the first instance where the government has stalled proceedings. The same episode was witnessed even during the 2G scam. Parliamentary accountability is just as important as parliamentary debate; both should go hand-in-hand for the stability of democracy in India.
BJP could grab the offer of holding a discussion with UPA on the issue. In the debate session, BJP could force the government to explain why and how coal block were allocated without a competitive bidding mechanism.
Rather than putting the Parliament on hold, the opposition party should hold a special session to discuss and debate about the scam.
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