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Much tehelka about...

Ashok Dasgupta

THAT the monsoon session of Parliament too, will be as disruptive, acrimonious and stormy as the Budget session which ended last Friday is clear from the tenor of speeches and the frayed tempers that were exhibited -- particularly by the Opposition leade r in the Lok Sabha -- even as both Houses were adjourned, ahead of schedule.

The session which came to a noisy close -- or should one say curtailed as a fait accompli -- has been one of the least productive in recent times, thanks mainly to the planned disruption by the Congress on the Tehelka tapes expose. By storming into the w ells of both Houses immediately after question hour, the leading party in the Opposition successfully stalled all proceedings for days together which resulted in both Houses adjourning without transacting any business for nearly a fortnight.

There was never any chance for a meeting of minds. The Congress, in all ``magnanimity,'' stepped down from seeking the resignation of the BJP-led NDA Government but stuck doggedly to its demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe into the Tehelka expose on ``corruption in defence purchases.'' The Government, on the contrary, consistently maintained that there was no need for a JPC probe, especially when a single judge inquiry commission was looking into it.

At the same time, however, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, made it amply clear that the Government had an ``open mind'' on the issue and the question of setting up a JPC would arise only if the Lok Sabha opted for it after a full debate. Alt hough this could have been viewed as a sensible approach, there was a game of numbers involved here. And the Congress, knowing for certain that its move would be voted down, always lent a deaf ear to Mr Vajpayee's suggestion.

Instead, the Congress ensured that no business transactions were possible in either of the two Houses. As a result, not only was Parliament adjourned for nearly a fortnight, the session now stands curtailed by a good 10 days or so on the pretext that the members would like to have time to campaign for their parties in the coming polls.

Thank God for small mercies, however, that the Opposition had the good sense at least to ensure that the Railway Budget and the Finance Bill for the current fiscal were approved. A two-day truce was negotiated for the passage of the two Budgets, lest the economy and the whole country came to a standstill. More so, the salaries of all the members of Parliament also would have got stuck.

The very next day (Friday), the Congress was back at its game of disruption and it was an aggrieved Prime Minister, as also the Speaker, who lamented the precious time and the tax-payers money that had been wasted and hoped that the same would not be rep eated in the monsoon session. In all, a total time of 74 hours and 39 minutes had been lost by the Lok Sabha of which 21 hours and 54 minutes were made up through late sittings. And considering that each minute of the session costs Rs 17,000, a couple of crores have gone down the drain.

Evidently, the Congress will now take the Tehelka issue to the people. And much would depend on how the people react and the resultant fortunes of the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly polls. If the party happens to come out with flying colours or suc ceeds in just slightly improving upon its current numbers in the various Assemblies, its posture against the Government is bound to be even more belligerent. If the reverse happens to come about, the party will be expected to be sober and change tack.

So, all eyes now on the May polls.