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"I doubt if any Bill will be allowed to pass in this session" Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters outside parliament today, ominously setting the tone for what promises to be a loud, uproarious and ineffective last parliament session before a fresh government steps in. Perhaps a fitting finish to UPA 2's dubious record as a government that has passed the least number of bills in its full 5 year term - 165 as opposed to an average of 317 bills that other governments finishing their 5 year terms have managed to pass according to data compiled by PRS Legislative.
If the Congress has thus far passed the buck on opposition parties for disrupting the house proceedings, the introduction of The Telengana Bill, 2014 paving the way for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh will ensure that the centre faces the wrath of not just the BJP which has been backtracking on the legislation, but also of its own MPs in the house with Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and others upping the ante by holding protests in the capital.
With barely 12 sittings, the overall legislative agenda is heavy and includes consideration and passing of 29 Bills currently pending in Parliament, 4 Bills which have been listed for introduction, consideration and passing and six bills related to the interim budget that are expected to be presented, taking the total tally to 39.
Among the key ones listed for passage are 6 anti-corruption legislations including - The Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, 2011 that establishes a mechanism to receive complaints of corruption and protect the whistle blower and The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 that makes the act of bribing a public servant a criminal offence.
The Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2013 which widens the definition of collective investment schemes and empowers SEBI for search and seizure operations - a critical legislation framed in the backdrop of the Saradha chit fund scam and the ongoing case against the Sahara Group is also on agenda.
So is The National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 which provides statutory backing for the Aadhaar scheme of the government through the establishment of the National Identification Authority.
The Women's Reservation Bill, 2008 - which provides 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies and has been pushed by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi could also come up for discussion. It has been gathering dust for decades after it was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1996.
The contentious Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill which aims at protecting minorities from targeted attacks and has deeply polarized politicians and activists, has meanwhile, not been listed.
From an economic standpoint, apart from the vote-on-account and the presentation of the interim budget for the railways, industry has little to cheer about. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008 which raises the limit of foreign holding in insurance companies to 49%, allows entry of foreign re-insurers and permits nationalized general insurance companies to raise funds from the capital markets has not been listed for discussion and will have to wait for a new government. Given the BJP's reservations about increasing FDI limits in insurance, it is anybody's guess where this legislation is headed.
Also unlikely to be taken up, is the The Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 which will facilitate the implementation of the Direct Taxes Code by replacing the Income Tax Act 1961 and the Wealth Tax Act. The first draft of the long pending legislation was prepared by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in 2009, followed by a second draft by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, post which it was sent to the Standing Committee. Most of the Standing Committee’s recommendations have been accepted according to press reports, but the legislation is unlikely to sail through in the 15th Lok Sabha.
The cacophony in parliament in the last few years has ensured that as many as 56 bills including the The Direct Taxes Code Bill will lapse with the dissolution of 15th Lok Sabha, a report in the DNA newspaper suggests. Bills piled up in the Rajya Sabha can be either carried forward or junked by the incoming government, but those in the lower house will become history pouring water over years of hard work and negotiations.
The blame games will begin in a little while on who is to take responsibility for the dismal performance of parliament. But the 15th Lok Sabha is an illustration of how law makers have failed collectively in their basic duty to legislate. More than half of the scheduled time spent in parliament was unproductive - only 56 out of 1100 starred questions were answered orally in the floor of the House where MPs were busy gunning for each others' throats. And over a third of all Bills passed by the 15th Lok Sabha witnessed less than one hour of debate, being rushed through hurriedly for the fear of disruptions. Moreover, despite broad cross-party consensus on several of the pending legislations, politicians have refused to collaborate and ensure their quick passage.
The Indian parliamentary system is hailed as a symbol of democracy. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the 15th Lok Sabha has held democracy to ransom.
