The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has reached out to President Pranab Mukherjee challenging the Government’s decision to bring an ordinance to protect convicted MPs and MLAs. The Centre, meanwhile, accused the BJP of changing its stand on overturning the Supreme Court judgement on the issue.
The Opposition leaders of both the Houses of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, and senior BJP leader L.K. Advani asked the President to advise the Government that it ought not to legislate an unconstitutional legislation. They urged the President to refer the ordinance back to the Government.
The BJP leaders questioned the urgency for an ordinance while the standing committee on law and justice is considering a Bill to surpass the Supreme Court order.
“What was the urgency that the Government was compelled to bring this legislation through the ordinance route? The only compelling reason for bypassing Parliament and taking the ordinance route is to help a class of tainted politicians who have been already convicted or are apprehensive of a court judgement in near future,” the leaders said in a memorandum to the President.
Government’s stand
Hitting back at the BJP, the Government said the BJP changed its stand on overturning a Supreme Court judgement on the issue.
“They first wanted a change in the law. Why did they first say they would pass the Bill and then why did they change their mind towards the last days of the Parliament session? They are entitled to change their mind but just because you change your mind, you should not say everybody should change their mind,” Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters here.
The Finance Minister said once the committee gives its report on the Bill, the Government will be ready to make fresh amendments to the Bill, which is pending in Rajya Sabha.
“The Bill was ripe for passage, it would have been passed. It is not as though we are surprising anyone by an ordinance. It is the same Bill which is in Parliament. There was consensus,” he said.
Responding to suggestions that the ordinance was passed in a hurry to protect tainted lawmakers, Chidambaram said, “There was no hurry. We are simply saying everybody agreed that the judgement required to be changed.”