‘Opposition mukt’ Parliament passes several key bills

A total of 146 Members of Parliament have been suspended for the remainder of the present term of the Narendra Modi led government, and the Lok Sabha suspension created a record by touching the century mark.

The rest are from the Upper House(Rajya Sabha). The opposition has dubbed the government move a mockery of democracy, as important legislations will be passed without any debate undermining parliamentary democracy.

The opposition has been demanding a debate on the security breach on December 13, when two men had jumped into the chamber of the lower house from the visitors’ gallery and opened gas canisters.

Their visitor’s pass was provided by a legislator from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to investigate the matter but rebuked the opposition for demanding a debate.

The Prime Minister in an interview with a Hindi-language newspaper has said though the breach of parliament’s security was a ‘very serious’ issue, and there should be a detailed investigation into it, but “there was no need to debate this”.

The largest political Opposition to the ruling BJP, the Congress has termed the mass suspensions as a complete purge being executed so that draconian bills are passed without any meaningful debate, and also that the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13th goes scot-free.

Presiding officers of the upper and lower house suspended the opposition lawmakers for disrupting proceedings after the legislators demanded a discussion and a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah.

The speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla said that security was his responsibility and a review is being conducted. The home ministry is also investigating the breach.

Political analysts have questioned the mass Opposition MPs suspensions. MPs have all the right to seek answers and hold the government accountable to the parliament, they opined.

The government plans to introduce contentious bills to replace the existing criminal laws in parliament without two-thirds of the opposition members present in the House.

The suspension essentially emptied the parliament of the opposition, with analysts saying the mass suspensions are unprecedented and in line with Narendra Modi’s authoritarian style of functioning.

The Parliamentary processes can carry on, following the suspension of the opposition lawmakers, since the quorum of 10 per cent will be met by the governing party and its allies with an overwhelming majority.

While bills are typically passed following a discussion in parliament, they have been passed without any discussion numerous times in the past.

The opposition less Lok Sabha passed three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws, by voice vote. The names of the redrafted bills are -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill.

It also passed the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, with voice vote. The proceedings took place in the absence of 100 Opposition MPs, who were suspended over misconduct and unruly behaviour.

These three bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act-1898, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

Home Minister Amit Shah justified the bills stating that they will establish a justice system based on ‘Indian thinking’, as the existing laws reflect the ‘colonial era mindset’ of punishing for a crime but not doing justice.