Indian government’s anti-corruption law becomes "waste paper"
At the meeting of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) a Parliamentarian ripped up the sheets of a minister, leading a discussion that has forced Parliament to cancel the session. Opposition: "All staged, the government knows it is only a minority." No comment from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but his political future is now at risk.
New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Indian government has failed to pass its Lokpal bill, the anti-corruption law demanded for months by large segments of the population. Yesterday, the Rajya Sabha (upper house or Council of States) literally transformed a year of proposals and counterproposals into waste paper; during the session in fact, a Congress MP stripped the leaves from the hands of a minister, sparking a heated discussion that lasted for 12 hours, until midnight. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to cancel the session. Everybody expected that the law would be passed definitively, since the Lok Sabha (Lower House or House of People) had approved the draft on December 27 last.
The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindu ultra-nationalist party) opposition has accused Singh and the Congress party of masterminding the whole brawl because aware of the "weakness" of the Lokpal bill, even among their own allies.
After the episode yesterday Arun Jaitley (BJP) called the government a "hopeless minority, aware that they do not have the numbers to choreograph a safe escape from failure." Derek O'Brien, from Trinamool (a Congress ally), said: "This is a shameful day for Indian democracy," adding that the government has handled the whole situation "very badly".
According to many, it has been an annus horribilis for the Singh government, having failed to end 2011 by bringing home the most important result for its political future. The non-passage of the bill adds up to another recent defeat, concerning the opening of the retail market to large international supermarket chains, lost by a whisker. The premier did not comment on what happened in the Rajya Sabha, but it seems that the Lokpal bill will be resubmitted with the approval of the 2012 budget.
This end of the year defeat may well prove to be critical for Manmohan Singh, who in 2012 will face presidential primaries ahead of 2014. A difficult time for the politician who in 20 years - first as finance minister and then as prime minister - has made India the second world economy for growth, thanks to his defense of free market policies.
The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindu ultra-nationalist party) opposition has accused Singh and the Congress party of masterminding the whole brawl because aware of the "weakness" of the Lokpal bill, even among their own allies.
After the episode yesterday Arun Jaitley (BJP) called the government a "hopeless minority, aware that they do not have the numbers to choreograph a safe escape from failure." Derek O'Brien, from Trinamool (a Congress ally), said: "This is a shameful day for Indian democracy," adding that the government has handled the whole situation "very badly".
According to many, it has been an annus horribilis for the Singh government, having failed to end 2011 by bringing home the most important result for its political future. The non-passage of the bill adds up to another recent defeat, concerning the opening of the retail market to large international supermarket chains, lost by a whisker. The premier did not comment on what happened in the Rajya Sabha, but it seems that the Lokpal bill will be resubmitted with the approval of the 2012 budget.
This end of the year defeat may well prove to be critical for Manmohan Singh, who in 2012 will face presidential primaries ahead of 2014. A difficult time for the politician who in 20 years - first as finance minister and then as prime minister - has made India the second world economy for growth, thanks to his defense of free market policies.
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