Don’t stall Bills, Modi tells MPs in RS

Seema Kaul

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought to underscore the imperative of law-making and the role of the Rajya Sabha in the process drawing upon history to suggest the upper house aid the process instead of stalling legislation.

Intervening in the debate on “Commitment to the Constitution” in the Rajya Sabhya, PM Modi quoted Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a member of the drafting committee of the Constitution, as stating that the House has a responsibility to ensure that they do not create hurdles in the law making process and running of the administration.

The Modi government which does not have the requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha to push legislation, said: “Even Constitution makers must have had opposing and alternate views come forth while they were drafting.....yet they managed to reach a consensus and produce the Constitution which inspires us till date.” the PM said.

“Ambedkar used to say there should be industrialisation in the country to provide employment to the oppressed, the Dalits and OBCs," he said that the Chairman of the Drafting Committee also believed that without a serious campaign for industrialisation, pressure on land cannot be reduced and agriculture cannot be made profitable.

Pointing out that the Constitution framers had not envisaged the Ethics Committee, he said it was set up later to ensure that people do not make mistakes. Earlier Congress Deputy leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma appealed to the Prime Minister to take action against MPs and ministers of the government for making controversial statements.

He also said that the imposition of the Emergency could not be compared to Hitler’s rule in Germany, a point alluded to by the Leader of the House Arun Jaitley when he initiated the discussion last week, saying: “Do dictators ensure free and fair elections take place,”

Sharma said Indira Gandhis’ government was voted out by the people in 1977 but given a clear majority three years later.