The Biju Janata Dal has been taking an equi-distant position from both the BJP and the Congress for about a decade. Bhartruhari Mahtab has been a member of Lok Sabha for the past two decades and leads the 20-member consignment of the party in the lower House. Mahtab talked to BusinessLine on the 14th session of 16th Lok Sabha, which was a washout due to disruptions from both the ruling and the Opposition sides of the House. Excerpts:

What is your thought on the washout of the second lap of the Budget session?

It is most unfortunate. It was for the first time the helplessness of the Chair was demonstrated. The saddest part of it is that very little attempt was made to bring order inside the House, from any quarter. It was not only the disruptions, but the House also witnessed total disallowance of its functioning, and it is becoming normal.

What is the solution? Why were there no attempts to ensure the ruckus was stopped?

Suspending some members is the extreme step. This cannot be done without consensus among parties. The (Lok Sabha) Speaker (Sumitra Mahajan), though, is empowered to take action. She always takes decision after consulting the leaders of the respective political parties because she is one among them. If you go through the reactions of the respective political parties, you will realise they have made very little expression of remorse for the disruptions.

A delegation of your party had met Speaker Sumitra Mahajan…

The Speaker wanted to see what steps could be taken to end the impasse. By that time, two weeks had already passed. There were two alternatives: to declare sine die and adjourn the House or convince the agitating MPs to bring order in the House. Both didn’t happen.

Even the non-confidence motion was not taken up for discussion…

Parliament can function only with a collective wisdom. Today, a new challenge has been posed. If there is a no-confidence motion before the House and if there is disruption by a small section of members, the motion can be deferred. This can happen in any other Assembly, too. If the leader of a government loses majority, with a no-confidence motion pending in an Assembly, what will happen? This can create a chain reaction.

This is not democratic. This is a greater challenge to be tackled by responsible political parties.

What about the quality of Bills that have been tabled? The Finance Bill was passed amid din.

The Finance Bill getting passed with amendments to certain other legislations is something unprecedented. The Finance Standing Committee makes its comments on the Budget. But the Finance Bill is usually discussed in the House. ₹24 lakh crore of Budget was passed without discussion. It was not taken up in any of the all-party meetings, or in any other way.

The onus lies on the members and the political parties to find out how the the government devises it agendas. A legislation may be introduced through the Finance Bill, or it may come separately. Its the government’s discretion. But the concern today is that if a Bill is not discussed in the House because of certain extraneous situations, the total democratic set-up will collapse and be weakened.

The BJD has been a champion of the ‘Federal Front’. How do you see the recent moves by the Trinamool Congress and the Telugu Desam Party?

The BJD mooted the ‘Federal Front idea’ in 2014. That idea was to not only form a coalition to contest an election or throw a government out of power, but also give an alternative to the nation against the centralisation of power which has been happening over the past 70 years. Our idea was to make States strong; the Union should also remain equally strong. What the Congress and the BJP have been doing is centralisation of power. Our Constitution says that it’s a Union of States, and the States’ primacy should be strengthened constitutionally and that would be the true character of a Federal Republic.

We are maintaining equi-distance from the BJP and the Congress. The meeting with Naidu was just a ‘hi-bye’ at the central hall.

The issue is all about an alternative. In 1977, the Janata Party was formed to oust the Congress. What happened after that? They quarrelled among themselves. Within two years, Congress was back in power. The UF (United Front) government which came in 1996 was a bad idea. Even the coalition governments led by national parties concentrated power at the cost of the States. If we want alternatives against these, all the regional parties will have to come together to strengthen the States.

Look at the mandate given by the Centre to the 15th Finance Commission. The Centre has said the Commission has to function according to the parameters it sets. Do the States have any scope to give further their agenda? No. The Planning Commission is no more functioning. It was there where respective States could put their demands. NITI Aayog is just an extension of the Prime Minister’s Office. It is just a think-tank. The National Development Council has also stopped meeting.

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