Two developments have contributed to the washout of the Parliament’s winter session which put the Modi government in the dock. One was the ruling leadership’s reluctance to accept the Opposition’s demand for a debate on faulty implementation of demonetisation even after the latter dropped its demand for voting on the issue. The Opposition wanted PM’s presence in the House not only during debate on his demonetisation ‘baby’ but also on other urgent issues facing the country.

We are living in a democratic country whose chief executive is supposed to ensure smooth functioning of the Parliament by accommodating Opposition’s viewpoint. Modi, however, said he could only speak direct to the people from public platform as he was “not allowed to speak in Parliament”! Such utterances of the country’s chief executive amount to debunking the country’s highest democratic institution to which the people send their representatives to provide responsive and efficient government.

What made the media headlines towards the end of Parliament session was the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s charge against Modi saying he (Rahul) had “detailed information” which he wanted to reveal in Lok Sabha. “But the government was not allowing him to speak. PM is afraid that if he lets me speak then his balloon will burst”. Rahul either wanted to follow in the footsteps of Modi who kept the demonetisation a closely guarded secret or wanted to reveal his charge only in Parliament which would not invite defamation case which it would if made from a public platform.

The BJP adopted diversionary tactics in response to Rahul’s corruption charge against Modi by blocking the Opposition’s offer for an unconditional debate on the demonetisation drive. That is why two days before the conclusion of the winter session the Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar raked up the Agusta Westland helicopter scam that was discussed threadbare in Parliament two sessions ago -and not heard since then.

Comparisons are odious but often become unavoidable. The issue is Parliament’s functioning. During the UPA-1 Manmohan Singh-led government’s tenure the functioning of Parliament was smooth and virtually rancor free. But during its 2009-2014 tenure its functioning was marked by shoddy, corrupt, highly ineffective and mega scams. As a result the House was not allowed to conduct normal business by the BJP-led opposition’s persistent protests against the mega scams. No one was surprised by the Congress’s humiliating defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls losing even the status of being the main opposition party in the House.

The just concluded winter session of the Parliament saw reversal of the roles played by the Congress-led Opposition and the ruling Modi-led NDA government.

Ironically, politics of one of the world’s premier democratic entities has touched such low levels that the functioning of even the “temple of democracy” was alternately blocked by the treasury and opposition benches. The cause of the latest disruption was the demonization which has disrupted the country’s economy, loss of huge work hours and rendered millions of common people jobless or without means of livelihood.

The reasons that have created such a serious situation can be explained by drawing a balance sheet of Modi-led government’s functioning after its assumption of office on May 26, 2014.

Among the main promises Modi had made after assuming office in 2014 were three major ones: all-inclusive development, root out black money and curbing of corruption. On May 3, 2016 Modi claimed Mudra (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) scheme, increased LPG coverage and electrification of villages as its major achievements.

No doubt, development has taken place in some fields but loud claims of carrying out development on mega scale are far from reality. In fact, most of the claims pertain to continuance of the works initiated by the previous governments. Among such path-breaking measures taken during the Menmohan Singh-led UPA-1 term were: The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, Right to Information Act 2005 and The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005 which guarantees 100 days of employment in a financial year to any rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work. Nobody can claim that these laws implementation was free from anomalies.

If the happenings during the UPA-II rule led to the Congress’s political and electoral downfall, the demonetisation “scam” and the allegations leveled by the Congress three days before the conclusion of the Parliament’s winter session against the Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rajiju, may prove to be the proverbial spoilsport for Modi government. The Congress has charged Rajiju with allegedly influencing the Power Ministry to clear bill related to a power project in Arunachal Pradesh. Releasing an audio tape, the party alleged it was a Rs. 480 crore scam.

What should be more worrying for the Modi government is the indication that demonetisation is showing signs of becoming a mega scam. Hundreds of crores of new currency notes have been seized by the enforcement agencies. The hoardings of new currency notes mostly of Rs.2,000 denomination by what CPM leader Sitaram Yechury described as crocodiles, has taken place during the 35 days of demonetisation. In the period there have been long queues of common people outside Banks and ATMs waiting for hours to withdraw a paltry amount of Rs.2000 out of their own deposits. The issue of Rs. 2000 denominated currency would also be an incentive for the corrupt and hoarders of black money. Earlier it would take a few lakhs of Rs. 1000 currency notes to fill a brief case which can now be filled with double the amount with Rs.2000 denominated currency notes!

The above narrative prompts one to recall what Winston Churchill had once said when asked what qualities a politician required: Churchill replied, “The ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen”. One will have to wait for sometimes for Modi to explain why what he had promised didn’t happen. (IPA Service)