BJP govt undermining parliamentary democracy: CPI(M)

Accusing the BJP-led government of undermining parliamentary democracy, CPI(M) has said that such a practice can lead to "destruction" of democratic foundations of the country.
In an editorial of its mouthpiece 'People's Democracy', the party has said that the "practice combined with the Centre's aggressive pursuit of Hindutva agenda constitutes a very grave attack" on foundations of India's Constitutional Republican order.
"Bypassing Parliamentary procedures is the surest highway towards authoritarianism that can lead to destruction of the democratic foundations of our Republic," CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said in the editorial of the forthcoming issue of the weekly.
Yechury has charged the BJP with trying to "bulldoze" crucial legislations without subjecting them to parliamentary scrutiny using its majority in the Lok Sabha.

To make his point, Yechury claimed that not a single crucial legislative proposal has been referred to the Standing Committee by the 16th Lok Sabha.
"As a result, when these are brought before the Rajya Sabha, invariably they were referred to a select committee of the House for proper examination," he said.

In an unusual case, Yechury said, Rajya Sabha has constituted at least six select committees on various legislations passed by Lok Sabha in the last few months.
Referring to the instance of Lok Sabha Speaker (Sumitra Mahajan) ordering to expunge alleged "uncharitable references" made by opposition MPs against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yechury said that this along with the government's manner of bypassing democratic procedures formed "ominous signals".

"Not content with such an anti-democratic jettisoning of parliamentary proposals, the speaker of the Lok Sabha, it is alleged, orders the switching off of microphones when Opposition leaders participate in a debate or censor the proceedings of a debate to delete as uncharitable references either to the BJP government's intentions or that of Prime Minister Modi," he said in the editorial.