A day after Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu hailed the recent parliamentary session for clearing 32 Bills, the highest in 17 years for a session, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said many of them had violated the federal values of the Constitution.
“One out of the four Bills passed attacks the federal structure laid down by the Constitution and dilutes the powers of the States,” he said. The Opposition parties played a constructive role, but the government was not cooperative, he said.
Many regional parties had opposed the Bills to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Right to Information Act and the NIA Act, among others. The latest amendments to the UAPA Act empowered the Home Ministry to declare any individual a terrorist and attach his property without consulting the police.
The amendments to the RTI Act will enable the Centre to decide the terms and conditions of employment of even the State Information Officers under the pretext of uniformity. The changes to the NIA Act mean the police need not be informed before arrests or raids.
Women’s quota Bill
Mr. O’Brien also asked why the government did not bring in the Bill to reserve 33% seats for women in Parliament or the one for data protection.
“It depends not on how many hours you spend with the tutor, it depends on the mark sheet and the quality of college you get into,” he said of the quality of the legislation passed without parliamentary scrutiny. No Bill was sent to a select committee or a standing committee this session. In the 14th Lok Sabha, 60% of the Bills were sent to standing committees and in the 15th Lok Sabha, it was 71%. In the 16th Lok Sabha, during the first government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only 26% of the Bills went through this process.
