Date:10/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/10/stories/2007091056750400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Parliament is supreme’

Special Correspondent

UPA Government attacked
Lok Sabha Speaker urged to set record straight

BANGALORE: Two leaders and a veteran journalist with reference to a recent ruling in the Lok Sabha that an international agreement cannot be placed for parliamentary scrutiny have stated that it amounted to sabotaging the sovereignty of Parliament and a pointer to the growing executive tyranny.

The former Lok Sabha member H.N. Nanje Gowda, the former Secretary of the Karnataka Legislature T. Venkataswamy, and the former Chief of Bureau of The Hindu C.M. Ramachandra in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Sa turday sought his intervention to set the record straight on the power of Parliament in scrutnising international agreements entered into by the Government. “This is an unexpected offshoot of the recent raging controversy surrounding the India-United States civilian nuclear deal and the ruling in Parliament that there was no precedent of any international agreement having come up for parliamentary scrutiny. On that score you disallowed voting on a motion on the subject while allowing a discussion”.

Mr. Nanje Gowda said the meaning of the Government’s attitude was that the sovereignty of Indian Parliament was negotiable and not the pact with the U.S. “The meaning of bypassing Parliament therefore is that the UPA Government has brazenly signed the 123 agreement with the U.S. behind the back of the people of India accompanied by the Prime Minister’s bravado that he would risk his minority Government in the defence of the agreement with the acquiescence of the Congress president.” They said if this was “not a mockery of parliamentary democracy how else will one term it. It is ironical that this jolt is delivered to the Indian polity on the occasion of its 60th anniversary of Independence. The current Parliament baiting, surely, is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. The need of the hour is the restoration of the sovereignty, dignity and honour of Parliament. We appeal to you as custodian of the dignity of the House to intervene and take steps to reverse this dangerous trend and restore the supremacy of Parliament”.