The recent disruptive
Parliament standoff between the Congress-led Opposition and the ruling NDA is
undemocratic and unconstitutional. Preventing the Parliament from functioning is
a profound governance issue.
India’s progress depends on
laws passed at the supreme legislative assembly viz. the Parliament. The moves
by a group of parliamentarians to block the right to debate and seek resolution
are in violation of the fundamental tenets of the Constitution.
The argument of the
Congress-led Opposition that their action is justified as a ‘tit for tat’ to
what the BJP did in the past is immature and counter-productive.
Not only are they holding the
Parliament hostage, but the whole country as well. India is at a point in time
when we need a plethora of new legislation to propel us into the next phase of
economic development.
Today’s global economy is
being built on a New Age technology platform that needs new and innovative policies
to deliver economic inclusion and sustainable employment and growth. India is
challenged with an archaic economic model that has little or no relevance to
the present and the future. We need to urgently legislate for ushering in
reforms in taxation, legal issues, labour, land, education, healthcare, social
welfare, industry, agriculture and infrastructure in order to eradicate poverty
and deliver broad-based economic development.
The current standoff is
irrational and only serves to impede economic and social progress. The action
of the Opposition parties is therefore anti-national and anti-progress.
The CII has spearheaded a
petition with over 15,000 signatories prevailing upon parliamentarians to carry
out their legislative responsibilities so that the country can move ahead with
urgently needed economic reforms. GST is one such key legislation, which needs
to be enacted. The implementation of this crucial tax reform can add 1% to
India’s GDP growth. Apart from this, there are a number of other legislation
that are urgently needed to kick-start our economy.
Every day lost in Parliament
is costing the country millions of jobs and billions of investment dollars. Who
is answerable and accountable to the poor, the needy, the voiceless and the downtrodden
who are being denied the right to participate in economic development by the
stalemate in Parliament?
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