Back to Square One
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 03, 2013 -

Was it the dynasty politics in India prevailing over the constitutionality as asserted by Arun Jaitley, Opposition Leader in the Rajya Sabha, or, was it an effort on the part of Rahul Gandhi to clean up India politics of corruption and criminal elements as claimed by Jyotiradityya Scinda, Union Minister for Power?

Whatever it may be, it is definitely interesting to know that Union Cabinet has withdrawn the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers five days after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi went publicly in raising his opposition to the ordinance calling it 'nonsense' which should be 'torn up and thrown away'.

But what is even more surprising is the manner in which the Union Cabinet has retracted its stand not only on the controversial Ordinance but also on the Bill that sought to amend the Representation of People Act and on which the Ordinance was based within at a brisk 20-minute meeting.

After the July 10 ruling of the Supreme Court which gave out a short and clear message to all the elected representatives that, "If you are convicted, then stay out, there is no place for you in India politics," political parties of different hue and colour banded together to oppose the apex court order for immediate disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and called on the Government to take up some concrete measures to undo the ruling.

Consequently, in the all-party meeting which was convened just ahead of the monsoon session, all the political parties spoke in one voice against what they claimed to be 'erosion' of Parliament's supremacy in law-making and denounced the Supreme Court ruling as an assault on their rights.

Although it does not strike a chord with the public opinion, this same posture of the political class paved the way away for smooth passage of the Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 proposed by the Government in the Rajya Sabha without even considering the need to wait for the outcome of the review petition that the Government had filed against the July 10 Supreme Court order.

It was 'so far, so good' for the birds of the same 'political' feathers until the Union Cabinet decided to take the ordinance route and cleared it on September 24 last just like controversial Food Security Bill.

That was when hell broke loose with opposition parties going hammer and tong against the ruling Congress party.

But now, the million dollar question is, what made the Union Cabinet to retract its decision on the ordinance?

Is it because the scion of Gandhi family, Rahul called it a 'nonsense' that should be torn and thrown away?

Or, is it realisation of the wrong done in clearing the ordinance and the urgency to rectify it?

Whatever be the political compulsion behind the bickering among the political parties, first, over the passing of the ordinance and now, over its withdrawal, it is good to know that a Supreme Court ruling considered to be a milestone in checking criminalisation of politics has remained intact.