New Delhi: Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the functioning of Parliament and opposition to changes to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), population-based delimitation and the One Nation, One Election proposal.
Chidambaram said in a Congress meeting that Parliament was witnessing a decline in meaningful debate, with important issues getting sidelined and not being discussed. He compared the functioning of Parliament with state legislatures and cited the Tamil Nadu Assembly as an example of better debate and engagement.
"After watching the proceedings of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, sometimes I feel that I should have been an MLA rather than an MP,” Chidambaram said.
The former Union minister asked why important issues had not been taken up through adjournment motions in Parliament for several years. He also claimed 12 Bills were passed during the Monsoon Session without sufficient discussion.
"Parliament is becoming a mockery and a laughing stock day by day,” Chidambaram said, taking on the government over legislative business.
Chidambaram Raises Concerns over FCRA changes.
Chidambaram also criticized amendments in the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act which he says could have serious consequences for organisations that receive foreign contributions for social and charitable work.
The proposed changes, he said, would most affect Christian and Muslim organisations and their assets might be under pressure. Chidambaram mentioned the case of a Catholic bishop in Sivaganga whose organisation had lost its FCRA registration three years ago.
“A government should not loot. This FCRA Bill is aimed at taking away the funds and assets of Christian and Muslim organisations. It’s one of the worst laws,” he said.
His comments also come amid a wider political debate on the regulation of foreign contributions to non-governmental institutions and other organisations. The FCRA framework determines the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions in India and the government insists that such funds must be regulated in the national interest.
Warning Over Population-Based Delimitation
Chidambaram also voiced concern over the proposed delimitation exercise, especially the possibility of population figures as a key basis for determining the distribution of Lok Sabha seats.
He warned that such an exercise could reduce the parliamentary representation of southern states, which have generally achieved lower population growth rates compared with several northern states.
According to Chidambaram, southern states could be faced with political disadvantage because of population control and social development. He said that political parties from southern states as well as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar should join hands and oppose what he termed as an unfair exercise.
The delimitation debate has become a major political issue and the future balance of representation of states is one of the most debated issues of all time. Population-based representation advocates say states that have managed the growth of their population should not be penalised by reducing the number of parliament seats in parliament.
Opposition to One Nation, One Election
Chidambaram also criticised the One Nation, One Election proposal which seeks to synchronise elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
He suggested that simultaneous elections would have implications for India's federal structure and possibly disrupt the existing electoral system.
“‘One Nation, One Election’ is against the federal structure of the Constitution. It will completely disrupt the existing electoral system,” he said.
The proposal has been a controversial political issue so far, with proponents arguing that simultaneous elections could reduce election-related expenditure and administrative disruption. Opposition parties have however raised questions about its impact on federalism, state-level political issues and the constitutional framework governing elections.
Parliament Monsoon Session
Chidambaram made the remarks after the end of the Monsoon session of Parliament. It began on July 20 and ended on August 13 after 19 sittings across 25 days.
His criticism reflects the Congress’s wider opposition to several legislative and constitutional proposals being discussed by the Centre. By attaching parliamentary functioning to questions of FCRA changes, delimitation and simultaneous elections Chidambaram argued that the issues go beyond individual Bills and involve wider questions about democratic debate, federalism and the balance of political representation.
The Congress leader’s comments will surely add to the political debate around delimitation and electoral reforms, and southern states continue to express concern about how future changes to parliamentary representation could affect their political voice at the national level.
