If the government seeks to extricate itself from the logjam it finds itself in, it may not have the luxury of using the legislative route
On the eve of a session of Parliament, it is usual for the government to announce its legislative agenda and for the Opposition parties and others to give notice of issues on which they hope to draw the attention of the country.
The latter is usually an indication of jousts to come, typically at the expense of the legislation in the pipeline. The first such fight arrived as early as Wednesday, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, and there is not much in the political air to suggest that an orderly transaction of business will take place in the two Houses over the next five weeks.
This should ordinarily mean that if the government seeks to extricate itself from the logjam it finds itself in — giving rise to the general sense of paralysis in governance — it may not have the luxury of using the legislative route, which may well once again get bogged down in acrimony involving the UPA’s allies. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress is a perennial candidate for this sort of thing, and that party has indicated its opposition to many steps that the government has in mind, such as the legislation on pension reforms. Depending on the legislation, the Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar may also be expected to be obstructionist on issues such as the Food Security Act.
In the event, the government’s best bet may be to pay greater attention to issues that do not need the sanction of Parliament and can be pushed through executive action. Of course, it will still need the political nerve to withstand the heat raised by various parties, especially action on the streets, should these materialise. P. Chidambaram, the new finance minister, has indicated taking some steps that might prove popular. That can be helpful in dealing with various parties. His problem is that his core agenda cannot be tackled in the absence of steps towards tightening government expenditure. Many parties may be expected to attack such an approach for purely political considerations.
The wider politics in the country suggests a government on the backfoot, although it has easily managed to get its own President and vice-president. The NDA alliance is also struggling with internal fissures. As a way of covering up its weakness, the Opposition may well go for it in Parliament, where obstreperous attitudes are cost-free. It is in such a context that Sushilkumar Shinde, the new home minister, has also been named the Leader of the Lok Sabha. The position is co-terminous with that of the PM if the latter is from the Lower House. Mr Shinde may find it hard to discharge this responsibility, given the contentious phase of politics we are in.
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