Obstruction in the Assembly

THE new rule framed by the sub-committee appointed by the Nationalist Party in the Assembly to revise its rules cannot be said to have improved the chances of successful obstruction in that House. According to this rule, “no decision to resort to a policy of obstruction, including the refusal of supplies and the rejection of Finance Bills, shall be taken by the Nationalist Party, unless both groups constituting that party have separately met in the first instance and decided at their respective meetings to make it a party question”, and “if either group does not desire to resort to a policy of obstruction or of refusal of supplies, the Nationalist Party shall not make it a party question.” Under the old rule, it would have been obligatory upon the Independents to go into the lobby with the Swarajists in all such matters, if only the Nationalist Party had decided by a two-thirds majority to resort to a policy of obstruction, no matter if that majority included only a small minority of the Independents. Under the new rule, no such thing can or will happen; and the Independents, like the Swarajists, shall be bound only by the decision of a majority of their own party, and not by the decision of a majority of the other party. Now, it is common knowledge that in this matter of obstruction, there has from the first been a substantial difference of opinion between the Swarajists and the Independents. The former have, speaking generally, been in favour of following a policy of obstruction in every case in which there is a reasonable chance of success.