GOVERNANCE BY
ORDINANCES – UNDEMOCRATIC AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL
I am getting more and more convinced of
the truth of the idiom attributed to Marx namely, “that the bourgeois
government is the executive committee of the Big Business and Industrial
houses”. This is sharply brought out by Modi government issuing ordinances on
Increased F.D.I. in Insurance and the Coal Mines (Special Ordinance) the very
next day after parliament adjourned, notwithstanding that it had over 3 weeks
to get these Bills introduced and try to get them passed. Of course it is well
known that B.J.P. lacks majority in Rajya Sabha. But then why it did not call
for a joint session where it claims it has majority. That a devious game was deliberately
being played by B.J.P. in resorting to two ordinances is clear from the Union Finance
Ministers open declaration (even during parliament session) that “if the
opposition did not relent, the government was ready to take a joint session
route” – notwithstanding this boast the government opted for undemocratic route
of ordinances.
It is well known that there are
serious differences in Parliament about the very motive of passing the
amendments allowing increased F.D.I. in Insurance Sector – that is why the
insurance bill has been held up for nearly six years – B.J.P. ironically was the
vociferous opponent in the last Lok Sabha. The history of L.I.C. since 1956,
when life insurance was nationalized by paying just 5 Crores to then private insurance
companies has been a gold mine to the Union Government. L.I.C. has given to the
Central government hefty amounts yearly (2008 – 09 to 2012 – 13) of Rs. 929.12 Crores,
1030.92 Crores, 1137.62 Crores, 1281.23 Crores, 1436.38 Crores respectively (It
also donated Rs. 7000 Crore in 7th Plan). It defies logic why in
such a situation central government should welcome F.D.I. resulting in loss to
L.I.C. which will have to share premiums paid by Indian citizens to foreigners,
unless it is a commitment given by Modi on his U.S.A. visit. So much is the desperate
attempt to woo foreign investors that when their reaction was the expected one,
namely that they would wait for regular law to be passed before risking their
investment, union government came out with a convoluted version in the press
that even if ordinance is not approved by the Parliament, enhanced F.D.I. made
during ordinance period would remain valid and irreversible. This proposition
is legally unsound because unless parliament passes the law by endorsing the
ordinance, all actions under the ordinance, would be unconstitutional.
The Ordinance regarding auction of
Coal Blocks is even more mischievous. I can understand that the blocks having
been cancelled by the Supreme Court last year they had to be auctioned afresh.
But under the cover of re-auctioning, mischievous steps are being taken to
erode the provisions of Coal Mines (Nationalization Act. 1973) which provided
that all rights title in relation to Coal Mines shall stand vested in the
Central Government. It also provides that no person other than the Central
Government or a government company or a corporation managed or controlled by
Central Government can engage in mining. I am convinced that union government deliberately
avoided introducing the Bill in Rajya Sabha. I say this because by the
ordinance the Union Government has surreptiously indirectly amended the Coal
Mines Nationalization Act, 1973. It knew very well that for B.J.P. Government to
reopen nationalization by a debate in the parliament would make it run for
cover and an open charge of serving the interest of its election fund donors.
The ordinance is a half clever sly trick to bring private sector in coal mining
after a lapse of over 40 years. People in Coal Business have explained that ordinance
explicitly allows private public joint ventures and permits commercial mining
by state government companies; activities which the Supreme had said were
illegal. This will benefit favourite companies of Modi government that are
already partnered by state government companies which lack mining expertise - an
indirect method to scuttle the Coal Mining Nationalization law.
The ordinance regarding Land
Acquisition is the limit of hypocricy and shows total contempt for
Parliamentary system. This Act is the result of years of massive agitation by
organizations like Narmada Bachao Andolan to get some justice to the evictees of
land taken for the benefit of Big Business and industrialists. Surely this
unanimous legislation by the previous Parliament can not be set at naught by an
executive ordinance – the irony being that the Act was approved in the previous
Lok Sabha by a Parliamentary Committee headed by the Present B.J.P. Lok Sabha
Speaker. The puerile excuse that it was necessitated by keeping exemption of Atomic
plants from the provision of the Act is phony because this would have required
only amendment of Section 105. There was no urgency to dilute social
impact assessment measure and the provision of enchanted compensation which was
to benefit the millions of poor and dispossessed. Why does not B.J.P. openly
admit that it owes a debt to big Business by displacing lakhs of farmers / poor
residents so that it could open up –Delhi – Bombay corridors for the Corporate
Sector for which Modis first visit to Japan was the precursor. In fact
ordinance specifically empowers the govt. to exclude Industrial corridors from
the applicability of the Act.
No Mr. President Mukherjee Sir, Your
Excellency seeking clarification from 3 Central Ministers was only part
obligation under the constitution when issuing the ordinance – the real stake holders,
the millions of poor farming population needed to be consulted and heard through
their well established representatives prior to issuing the ordinance
especially when these organizations had also represented to you seeking a
meeting.
Ordinance making power is the legacy
of British Colonialism. This should have no place in free India, nor is it to
be found in any other democratic countries. But Modi Government is flouting it
openly by having already readied an ordinance on Arbitration Act (what urgency
can possibly explain such a bizarre move).
The Supreme Court has very strongly
commented as far back it is 1987 that ordinance making power “is in the nature
of emergency power to take action when the legislature is not in session. This
power is to be used to meet an extraordinary situation and it can not be
allowed to be” “perverted to serve political ends”.
Thankfully Modis undemocratic
exercise of power is being resisted by Trade Unions who have decided to go in
Token Strike – Coal Mines Workers Union and other trade unions have also
decided to hold a joint demonstration and protest before the Parliament when it
holds its next session.
RAJINDAR SACHAR
DATED: 06/01/2015
NEW DELHI
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