Big wins for govt: LS passes Triple Talaq Bill, RTI Bill clears RS hurdle

Thursday’s was a rare occasion in the Rajya Sabha in the last six years that the government defeated an opposition resolution

Current Afffairs: The Narendra Modi government on Thursday ensured the passage of the triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha. Its bigger win was managing the numbers in the Rajya Sabha to get the amendments to the right to information law passed amid opposition protests. The government also extended the duration of the ongoing Parliament session, earlier scheduled to end on Friday, until August 7.

Thursday’s was a rare occasion in the Rajya Sabha in the last six years that the government defeated an opposition resolution. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance hopes to cross the majority mark by mid –next year, but Thursday’s victory gave a peep into its strategy in the House until then.

However, ensuring the passage of the triple talaq bill, when the Rajya Sabha takes it up next week, remains a concern for the government. Its ally Janata Dal (United), along with much of the opposition as well as some of the fence sitter regional parties that supported it on the RTI bill in the Rajya Sabha, opposed the triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha.

As the Rajya Sabha rejected the opposition motion to send the RTI amendment bill to a House select committee for further scrutiny by 117 to 75 votes, opposition alleged “intimidation” tactics by treasury benches to influence voting.

Ministers and BJP members instructed NDA MPs and those of like-minded regional parties to vote against the motion. CPI (M)’s E Karim and Congress MPs protested when C M Ramesh, who had recently quit the TDP to join the BJP, tried to dictate voting behaviour of some members of his former party and later collected vote slips signed by members. Only officials are authorised to collect slips.

Here's why Modi's fragile 'victory' in Karnataka election highlights a risk

The prospect is that opposition parties could team up to try and keep the BJP out of power in upcoming elections, like they did in a 2015 state election in Bihar

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has eked out a narrow, uncertain victory following a bitterly-fought state election in the south Indian state of Karnataka, with its minority government sworn in this morning.

The Bharatiya Janata Party gained Karnataka after a series of twists and turns and a rare pre-dawn court intervention, setting the stage for behind-the-scenes political manoeuvring to prove its majority. The BJP won 104 seats in Karnataka’s 224-member legislature, more than any other party but eight short of the majority, according to the Election Commission of India. Modi’s party has been given 15 days by the governor to get the required number.

The opposition parties challenged the governor’s actions and petitioned the Supreme Court to stay the swearing in ceremony. The top court, which started the hearing around 2 a.m. local time Thursday and ended about at 5.25 a.m., said the formation of the government is subject to final outcome of the case.

A successful outcome is key to rejuvenate party members and reverse Modi’s declining popularity after several local defeats in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. By extending the BJP’s rule to south India, outside the Hindu nationalist party’s traditional support bases in northern and western India, gives them much needed momentum for 2019 federal polls.

"The election outcome, regardless of who controls the government, already shows the BJP remains popular, they can swing states that are otherwise challenging to win, and still have a superior political strategy," said Shailesh Kumar, Asia director at political risk firm Eurasia Group. "We expect the BJP to convince the necessary number of legislators to switch sides and allow the BJP to prove its majority in the next 15 days," he said.

The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, was sworn in Thursday by the Governor Vajubhai Vala at a televised ceremony in Bengalaru, the state capital and India’s technology hub.

Coalition Bid

The Congress party, which had ruled the state of more than 61 million people for the last five years, won in 78 seats, while a regional party, the Janata Dal (Secular), secured 37 seats, the election commission said.

The two parties had earlier approached the state’s governor in an attempt to rule as a coalition. But the governor instead asked Modi’s party to try and prove its majority

.

"In a sense B.S. Yeddyurappa’s oath is provisional," Abhishek Singhvi, a leader of the Congress Party, said in a tweet. "Supreme Court can change interim order tomorrow." It is due to sit again on Friday morning.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted:"This morning, while the BJP celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy."

Upcoming Polls

By extending the BJP’s rule to south India, outside the Hindu nationalist party’s traditional support bases in northern and western India, it now controls 21 of 29 Indian states. It further weakens the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of its independent history, by reducing its hold on powerful state governments to just one, in Punjab.

"For the BJP, while an outright win would have been ideal, the current numbers are still a positive and critical indicator of their standing," Kumar said. "If they go on to control and hold the government, it further erodes Congress’ control over states."

However, the Karnataka outcome highlights a key risk for Modi: the prospect that opposition parties could team up to try and keep the BJP out of power in upcoming elections, like they did in a 2015 state election in Bihar.

Still, the latest BJP victory shows that Modi’s party continues to run a well-oiled election machine, said Pratyush Rao, associate director for India and South Asia at Control Risks, a consultancy.

"Its well-defined party structure, with clear authority lines and highly motivated members, sits in stark contrast to the Congress, which is still plagued by an inability to restructure and re-organize itself in a substantial manner under party president Rahul Gandhi," Rao said.

Read More : Karnataka Assembly Election 2018

Opposition to FM Jaitley: Scrapping Rs 2,000 note, bringing Rs 1,000 coin?

However, Jaitley did not respond even as the Opposition members insisted on clarification in RS

The Opposition in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to clarify whether the government has decided to scrap the newly launched Rs 2,000 note and introduce a Rs 1,000 coin.

However, Jaitley, who was present in the House, did not respond even as the Opposition members insisted for clarification from him on the issue.(economy news)

Raising a point of order during the Zero Hour, Naresh Agrawal (Samajwadi Party) said: "The government has taken a decision to scrap Rs 2,000 note. The RBI (Reserve Bank) has been given order not to print the Rs 2,000 notes... If any policy decision been taken during the Parliament Session, the tradition is to announce it in the House."

So far, the RBI has printed 3.2 lakh crore pieces of Rs 2,000 notes. "And now it has stopped printing... RBI cannot bully. One note ban has been done, the second one is being planned. Let the Finance Minister say..," he said.

To this, Deputy chairman P J Kurien said, "that is RBI's action."

Agrawal then said that the earlier note ban decision was taken by the government and not the RBI. "The RBI board had opposed it but the government took the decision. The earlier decision (of demonetisation) was taken by the government, the second one is also from the government," he said.
Echoing his views, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad too sought clarification from the government on whether it was planning to introduce Rs 1,000 coins.

"Every day we read about a coin of [Rs] 1,000, 100 and 200. What is the actual status? Are we to go by what media is writing? The House is to be enlightened by the Finance Minister. What is the truth," he asked.

"Are we going to have [a] coin of Rs 1,000 coin. To carry coins, we have to purchase a bag? We must know. Our sisters have the purse. We shall also have to buy [a] purse just to carry the coins of Rs 1,000 (denomination)," he said and added that there was no politics in this issue.

Tiruchi Siva (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) said he cannot dispense with the media reports completely and sought clarification from the government on the issue.

Janata Dal (United) MP Sharad Yadav said the issue was serious as the rumours are strong, adding that the government should clarify and stop the rumours or else people will start returning Rs 2,000 notes.