THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Subhas Ray

STALLING the discussion in both the houses and adopting obstructionist tactics, the BJP not only reflected its utter frustration and bankruptcy of ideas but also exposed its lack of belief in democracy. Still unable to digest its defeat in 2004, the BJP now threatens to bring a no confidence motion against Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee. Thus, on May 23, the budget session of parliament ended on a note of confrontation between the ruling benches and the BJP.

On the day, the Lok Sabha witnessed a virtual blocking of its proceedings by slogan shouting BJP members. Hence the house could not discuss many important issues like price rise, the move to slash PF interest rates, stock market crash and the Mukherjee commission report on disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Even on the rise in prices of essential commodities, they did not allow the finance minister to reply to the debate and he had to cut his reply short. The speaker read out his valedictory reference in the din and adjourned the house sine die.

On the day, Lok Sabha adopted a resolution admonishing its former secretary general Subhas Kashyap for gross breach of privilege and contempt of the house by imputing motives to the speaker in discharge of his duties. The privilege notice given by the CPI(M)’s Hannan Mollah referred to Kashyap’s interview on August 4, 2005, which doubted the speaker’s impartiality and imputed a political reason to his rejection of Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banerjee’s notice to raise an issue. The Left parties strongly condemned the BJP’s attempt to weaken the parliamentary system by obstructing the Lok Sabha proceedings, describing the BJP members’ actions as worst kind of parliamentary terrorism.

SAY NO TO FDI IN RETAIL TRADE 

On the same day in Rajya Sabha, expressing concern during a discussion on foreign direct investment in retail sector, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury urged the government not to open up the retail trade sector to FDI, as it would have serious consequences for the Indian people and their future. FDI coming into India has to satisfy three conditions, Yechury emphasised. It should augment our productive capacities, upgrade our technology and enlarge employment opportunities. 

But an opening up of the retail sector will directly affect our existing employment opportunities. Retail trade today accounts for about 10-11 percent of our country’s GDP. The total unorganised sector retail trade employs over 90 per cent of our workforce. It thus acts as a social security net for rural areas and curtailing it would have a very adverse impact on these areas. Today, there are 7.36 million workers in such non-agricultural establishments. All these will face virtual death if FDI is allowed in retail trade. Yechury urged the government not to take decisions that violate its National Common Minimum Programme that promised to the aam admi to generate more employment and improve his life.

DISTURBING PRICE SITUATION

On May 22, both the houses discussed the price rise situation. Basudev Acharia in Lok Sabha and P Madhu in Rajya Sabha, both CPI(M), reminded the UPA government that there was a disturbing rise in the prices of essential commodities. The rise in Wholesale Price Index was 5.5 percent in 2004-05 but is 28.5 percent now. If cement price goes up to more than Rs 200 per bag, how can millions of houses be constructed with Rs 30,000 crore under the Indira Awas Yojana, they asked. The prices of food grains, pulses and edible oils have all increased. But there has been no increase in the real earning of workers and other people. The public distribution system is in a doldrums. But instead of its universalisation, the government is trying to restrict it to the BPL category. The reduced availability of rice, pulses and food grains is leading to malnutrition.

Last year the present government increased the price of petro-products twice on the plea of steadily rising crude prices. But the Administrative Price Mechanism, which could help in stabilising the petro-product prices, was dismantled in 1999. The government’s argument is that oil marketing companies are losing. Yet the central and state governments, taken together, are getting Rs. 1,26,000 crore, the central government’s total earning last year being Rs 77,800 crore. Which means the oil companies are not losing even when the crude price is 75 dollars a barrel. In fact, the increase in crude price has become a source of extra income for the centre and the oil companies at the cost of the people. But consumers do not get any benefit even when crude prices come down.

Whenever there was an increase in the petro-product prices, it had had a cascading effect on other commodities. So there is need to restructure the duties, cess and tax structure. Setting up of a price stabilisation fund was also suggested; the standing committee on petroleum and natural gas also recommended it. But the ministry of finance did not agree to the proposal. During the last two years, however, subsidy on kerosene and LPG was reduced by Rs 8000 crore. Thus the government is benefiting both ways while the common man is being over-burdened.

In this context, P Madhu referred to the Andhra situation in particular, saying the spiralling prices are a cause of serious concern, with the middle class, the poor in unorganised sectors, dalits and tribals being the worst hit. He warned that if the government remains oblivious to the situation, it will have to face the consequences.

FEMALE FOETICIDE

During a discussion on a Calling Attention Motion in Rajya Sabha, the CPI(M)’s Brinda Karat made a hard hitting speech and drew attention to rampant female foeticide and resultant imbalance in sex ratio in the country. She cited the alarming figures of dropping sex ratio and referred to Delhi where there were 868 girls for every 1000 boys in 2001 census, while the ratio is just 813 in 2006 --- a further drop of 55 points in five years. Six years ago, there were no districts with a ratio of less than 800 in the country; today there are 14 such districts. Generally, there is a red alert if the ratio goes down below 950 in a society; today 60 per cent of the districts in India have below-950 ratios. 

But the matter of extreme concern is that the government is not taking this decline seriously though there must be a national mission to combat it. What are the reasons? One major reason is dowry, fostering sex determination tests. We see so much misuse of technology that there are mobile ultrasound machines being taken to remote areas. We cannot provide water or electricity to the poor people in remote areas, but machines for sex determination are reaching the remotest areas and the government seems completely unaware of it.

It is the educated and propertied people who are following this culture. Unless the government wakes up, they will continue to eliminate girl children. Dealing extensively with the consequences of this evil, Brinda Karat said it was unfortunate that in his statement the minister completely ignored them. Referring to an AIDWA survey conducted in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, she said it found ‘bought wives’ in 21 households in two Rajasthan districts. These women, who were bought, are slave women --- exploited, sexually abused and used as commodities. She warned that this was going to be a consequence of the elimination of female foetus if the government does not take it as a national disaster.

The extent of the foetus killing spree is such that 40 lakh girl children have been eliminated since 1994. But, she asked, how many doctors have been convicted? Just one. A large number of cases are not actually against foetus elimination, but concerning non-registration of ultrasound clinics. If a case comes up in a court, only a small fine is levied. Then they register and start if off again. This is despite our producing prime facie evidence in many cases. TV channels caught on camera 140 doctors who had done the test and told the parents about the sex of the foetus. Channels showed 24 cases in which actual abortions were done in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. 

This shows what little the central and state governments were doing. We went to the Rajasthan government and its health minister said it needed a further probe, but they made a case against the journalist for doing the sting operation in the first place. Demanding punishment for the criminal doctors who have Rs 500 crore business through elimination of female foetus in the country, she said a clause in the Medical Council rules is actually against a law of parliament. That demands proof that a doctor has done a sex determination test with the intent of aborting a female foetus. Brinda Karat demanded that the Medical Council change this clause.

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

On May 22, Rajya Sabha passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Bill 2006. Supporting the bill, Tapen Sen, CPI(M), expressed satisfaction over incorporation of some vital changes pertaining to labour and the tiny sector’s inclusion in the bill. The micro and small-scale sectors deserve preference and protection, as they make more contribution to growth and employment generation, and have a better distributive impact on society, as compared to the large-scale sector. Yet the small-scale sector is a victim of the worst kind of industrial sickness in the country. There are half a million closed and sick units in the country, and a majority of them are small-scale and medium units.

Sen said because of de-reservations, small enterprises are facing unequal competition with large units and multinationals, even in areas where they normally act as ancillaries or vendors. Many small units feel compelled to make a distress sale of their products. So in order to make the objective enumerated in Section 9(1) of the bill meaningful, the de-reserved items have to he restored to the reserved list and there must be complete moratorium on further de-reservation. Section 11 of the bill mentions the policy of preference for small, medium and micro sectors in procurement of goods and services by the central government departments, ministries and PSUs. But saying so is not enough. When you talk of preference policy, its modality must be defined statutorily. It cannot be left to executive decisions. These sectors require preference in power, water, infrastructure support and also in taxation. They need concessional rates of excise duty on the goods and services they produce, and such concessions must be made as a statutory provision. We need an agency to know about the economic status of small units in the country, just like the BRPAC that looks after the health of PSUs, and also to see that laws are properly implemented. Care has also to be taken of the sickness in such sectors at the incipient stage to guide them to revival, Sen said.