UPA on edge; SP, BSP role crucial in parliament


New Delhi, Apr 21 (IANS): Support of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party would be crucial for the Congress-led UPA during the remainder of budget session of parliament as the government's failure to get the finance bill passed will imply its lose of majority and result in early elections, say analysts and political observers.

Keeping that in mind, the government is keen to get key bills passed when parliament resumes its budget session after a brief recess. The bills relate to food security, land take-over, anti-graft Lokpal besides those related to reforms in the pension and insurance sectors. Their passage will showcase to voters that the government performed despite the opposition.

But the first hurdle will be the finance bill.

A large number of amendments moved by the opposition against the finance bill are sure to give a tough time to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's floor managers, informed sources told IANS.

Though most political parties do not want early elections to the Lok Sabha, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was flexing his muscles in the past, is seen as perfectly capable of pulling the rug from under the government's feet without notice.

Sensing the Congress is vulnerable as it lost two allies - the Trinamool Congress with its 19 members and the DMK with 18 members - in the past six months, party chief Sonia Gandhi reviewed the parliament strategy with senior ministers Friday.

Even if the SP with 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha decides to ditch the government, the BSP with 21 members, the Left parties with 24 and the Janata Dal-United with 20 members could bail out the government, aver Congress party sources.

This week the centre allocated Rs.12,000 crore to Bihar ruled by JD-U leader Nitish Kumar, whose long alliance with the BJP is seemingly on the rocks. With the JD-U dead opposed to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a possible prime ministerial candidate of the NDA, there is a lot of speculation over the future of the BJP-JD-U alliance.

Even if the SP decides to withdraw support after the budget session, the government will not necessarily fall, say some analysts. The budget session is to conclude May 10.

The government has time till the monsoon session in July-August to push through some populist welfare measures, hope for a good monsoon and a bumper crop to lift the mood of the agriculture-dependent rural population, and then possibly call for general elections by yearend.

These are among the various scenarios being discussed in the political corridors and strategy sessions.

According to political commentator and professor of political science in the Jawaharlal Nehru Univeristy (JNU) Zoya Hasan, the central government is "delicately balanced".

"UPA is delicately balanced, and uncertainty is there as it is a coalition government. The government has lost two of its allies in past and is dependent for support on the SP and BSP," Hasan told IANS.

"It is difficult to predict SP's stance as the party is smarting under the economic package which was given to Bihar but not to Uttar Pradesh," she said.

If that is not enough, the government is also bracing itself for the onslaught from an aggressive opposition in the remaining three weeks of parliament session.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to raise the "leaked" draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G allocation which blamed then telecom minister A. Raja, who, in turn has claimed that everything was done in consultation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The government has also drawn flak over the alleged toning down by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report on the faulty allocation of coal blocks.

Besides these two issues, angry public protests over police apathy towards the gruesome rape of a five-year-old girl in Delhi are also likely to be raised by the opposition as another stick to beat a harried government with.

 

Important bills listed for budget session-II

* The National Food Security Bill gives the right to food to around 67 percent of India's 1.2 billion population. It provides five kg grain per person per month - rice @ Rs.3 per kg, wheat @ Rs.2 per kg and coarse grains @ Re.1 per kg. The bill will add Rs.20,000 crore to the current Rs.1 lakh crore food subsidy.

* The land acquisition bill seeks to address problems of industry regarding acquisition of land for setting up projects, and provides for rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced people. It proposes to replace the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

* The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill that lays down enforceable standards of conduct for judges. It also requires judges to declare details of their and their family members' assets and liabilities. It also creates mechanisms to allow anyone to complain against a judges on grounds of misbehaviour or incapacity.

*The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2011 seeks to give statutory powers to the interim authority set up in 2003. It also alters the name of the New Pension System to National Pension System (NPS).

* The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 aims to give right to every individual citizen to time bound delivery of goods and provision for services and redressal of grievances.

* The Lokpal bill that seeks to set up an anti-graft ombudsman at the centre and in the states

* The Securities and Exchange of Board of India (Amendment) Bill, 2013

* The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Bill, 2013

  

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Comment on this article

  • Vincent Rodrigues, Katapadi/Bangalore

    Mon, Apr 22 2013

    I don't think we have any doubts with regard io UPA completing its terms. Government is doing well in the key areas though the oppositions are simply making sound.Nation is in safe hands and India is performing better in comparing to the othe countries .The media is mainly creating confusion.I wish the UPA all the best.Thanq.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Joseph F. Gonsalves, Bannur, Puttur / Mangalore

    Mon, Apr 22 2013

    NOW THE UPA IS STRONG AS EVER BEFORE.
    ONE OR THE OTHER WANTED TO VOTE TO UPA. THE TIDE IS FOR CONGRESS LED UPA.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rahul, Mumbai - Dubai

    Mon, Apr 22 2013

    UPA GOVT SHOULD GO ..... ELECTION ASAP UPA is totally a failure.

    DisAgree [7] Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Sachidanand Shetty, Mundkur/Dubai

    Mon, Apr 22 2013

    For Country like India, even if government like UPA led Alliance falls, nothing will happens to our economy nor our normal life will be affected by their departure. Congress knows very well that, SP and BSP’s threat is just like a bullying tactic. As it is UP has gone bankrupt ever since SP took over from BSP by offering various schemes "free to public" as per their election manifesto. Since Bihar got bail package of Rs 12,000 Crores aid, now UP too will force UPA to some package to narrow their budget deficit. Finally UPA can threaten “Mulla Yadav to fall in line” else they will set free CBI from New Delhi Cage

    DisAgree [2] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mangalore/Mapusa/Mumbai

    Sun, Apr 21 2013

    Nitesh is new man created by UPA to combat Muliam and Mody.....

    DisAgree [4] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • GERALD, MODANKAP

    Sun, Apr 21 2013

    SINCE MAUN IS LEADING THE TEAM THERE IS NO USE OF UPA !! PLEASE IMPLEMENT THE PRESIDENT RULE

    DisAgree [6] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • Indian, Mangalore

    Sun, Apr 21 2013

    Today government approved VIP (Z plus) security for Mr. Ambani......This is whose money????Our tax payers money..... This government should go forever....

    DisAgree [5] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse


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