CPI(M) to �seize� Parliament after next session

Parliamentary procedures being brazenly violated: Yechury

CPI(M) general secretary and MP Sitaram Yechury warned of a Parliament seizure after the upcoming session next week, protesting against the “fascistic tendencies” of the Union Government in undermining the Rajya Sabha with regard to Finance Bill.

Addressing the media after the party’s State secretariat meeting here on Saturday, which he attended as chief guest, Mr.Yechury said a popular protest had been planned in front of Parliament in coordination with various people’s organisations.

“Parliamentary procedures are being brazenly violated, by terming all the bills ‘Money Bills’ which will have to be referred back to the Lok Sabha where the amendments suggested by the Upper House will be struck down. The same happened with the Finance Bill, and is about to happen with GST Bill too, as the latter too was listed as ‘Money Bill’,” Mr. Yechury said.

Explaining the party’s objection to the Finance Bill, he said it sought to make amendments to the Company Act so as to enable the corporate entities to donate to any political party, lifting the cap of 7.5 per cent of three years’ net profits. Secondly, the details of such donations need not be made public.

“The Prime Minister keeps harping on political corruption wherever he speaks. This Bill will only help increase corruption, as anybody can create a shell company merely for transfer of funds, thereby turning all the black money into white. We at Rajya Sabha opposed this and proposed amendments, which were rejected by the Lok Sabha,” Mr. Yechury said, and termed it “dangerous” for parliamentary democracy.

The provision entitling the Income Tax officials to raid without notice would only be used to blackmail the government’s opponents, he said.

Banning corporate funding was the only way for ruling out political corruption, he said adding that a law should be brought in to impose a ceiling on funding to the parties.

Mr. Yechury also proposed a shift to the proportional representation system adopted by many developed democracies, which would not impose a single-party rule on majority who voted against it. Since the Independence, no single government had had the mandate of more than 50 per cent people.

Even the present NDA government had got only 31 per cent vote.

Expressing concern about the agricultural crisis in the country, as apparent from the demonstration in Delhi by farmers from Tamil Nadu, Mr. Yechury said the government was mum about loan waiver for farmers, but waived Rs.1.12 lakh crore corporate loans from banks which, when calculated with interest amounted to Rs.11 lakh crore.

Referring to the attempts to “fuse Hindutva with Development”, and communal polarisation during Uttar Pradesh elections followed by formation of cow protection squads and anti-romeo squads in the State, Mr. Yechury appealed to all secular and democratic forces to join hands for a united fight against the “fascistic tendencies”.

He congratulated the State Committee members on successful completion of the ‘Mahajana Padayatra’, and said the party’s policies and action would henceforth be built around the outcomes of the tour.