BJP-NDA pressuring President on OoP, says Left

New Delhi, Jul 24: Strongly defending the Parliament supremacy in making or changing laws, the Left parties today lambasted the NDA for 'pressurising' President A P J Abdul Kalam to curb the august institution's right, while asserting that they would not allow any other insittution to usurp the right.

Left Floor leaders in the Parliament, Sitaram Yechury and Gurudas Dasgupta, made it clear in no uncertain terms that the Parliament had the 'Uch Samman' (high regard) for the office of the President, which could advise and suggest, but could not compromise on the supremacy of the legislature.

The joint leadership of the supporting parties, CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc during an hour long meeting with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, assured him that they are with the government in the battle to protect Parliament supremacy.

In the morning, the Opposition NDA met the President and urged him to seek the opinion of Supreme Court on the Office of Profit Bill under Article 143 of the Constitution as the UPA Government had decided to pass it in Parliament without any changes.

At a joint press conference, the Left leaders answered a volley of questions pertaining to the Office of Profit Bill- the role of the President and the judiciary in such matters and the "vested interests" of the Left to save their as many as eleven MPs among others.

CPI(M) Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia also addressed the press conference while CPI Deputy Floor leader in the Lok Sabha C K Chandrapan, RSP leader and Rajya Sabha MP and Forward bloc General Secretary Debvrat Biswas were present.

Replying to a specific query on the question of the President's advice and suggestions on the OoP bill, CPI(M) Parliamentary group leader Sitaram Yechury made it clear in no uncertain terms that, "The President has every constitutional right to advise and ask for certain suggestions on any Bill... Since he has sent back the OoP Bill for reconsideration... it is back in the Rajya Sabha from where it was sent. Tomorrow a discussion will take place on this." On the NDA's urging the President to seek the judiciary's advice, Mr Yechury asserted that "the role of the judiciary is to interpret the law. the Constitution is very clear on this point.''

Mr Yechury, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Rajya Sabha member, said they would '' support the bill in its original form.. as we had supported it, but we still insist on the need for setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Group to thoroughly examine the whole gamut ot the issue as no institution, be it, the legislature, executive or the judiciary had defined what it is." CPI Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Gurudas Dasgupta questioned the "very purpose" of the NDA leadership of taking out a rally to the Rashtrapati Bhawan this morning on the issue." What is the purpose of all this... The BJP- NDA is out to weaken the insitution the parliament," Tracing back the difference of opinion on certain issues between the first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and Mr Jawaharlal Nehru and Giani Zail Singh and Ms Indira Gandhi,Mr Dasgupta said the Parliament supremacy could not be sought to be undermined.

" The BJP knew that the issue of OoP was to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha.. This is why they rushed to the President... and sought to put hurdles in its passage of the bill in its present form..

There is no institution which is superior to the Parliament.. it is supreme.." the CPI veteran said.

The Left leaders also sought evolving of the mechanism which " insulated" the Bill from further scrutiny of the judiciary." Besides the collective wisdom of the Parliament has got every right to change or not to change any law.. We will press for further strengthening such law.' On the BJP's role, they said it should have rather brought a No Trust Move against the government if it was really serious about the issue." The BJP is playing foul.. it is mad for power..." On Left joint meeting with Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Dasgupta told sources that" the UPA government and the Left parties hold identical views on supremacy of the Parliament. "While we told Mr Mukherjee that we are with you on this issue... He said the Government and the left have identical views on this issue." The Left leaders also made it clear that while they supported the battle to protect Parliament supermacy, they were not in agreement with the Manmohan Singh government's economic policies.

" We have already told the government that we will oppose the banking, pension and labour reforms bills." Earlier, the Left leaders listed as many as nine important issues on which they would ask the government to explain on why it failed to" beef up' internal security in the wake of the Mumbai serial blasts and resurgence of terrorist attacks in J and K, contain runaway inflation and strengthen the PDS." Banning the forward trading to contain price rise should be the top priority of the government." On the Indo- US deal, they questioned the wisdom of the government in negotiating the Pact, which, they alleged, was in favour of the US." the government should also suspend all purchases from Israel in view of its attack on Palestinians and Lebanon." They also wanted the government to introduce the Women's Reservation Bill, the Tribals Bill, Unorganised Workers Bill 2004 and tackle the growing agrarian crisis leading to farmers suicides and slow down in industrial production.

UNI

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