Can BJD Use Rajya Sabha Math To Correct ‘Past Wrongs’?

Bhubaneswar: Will the BJD’s decision to oppose the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government in Rajya Sabha help it give a check to the BJP?

After the drubbing in the recent elections when the Conch party not only drew a complete blank in the Lok Sabha for the first time since its inception but also ceded power in the state to Modi’s BJP, Rajya Sabha is its only bargaining chip now. “The BJD has paid the price of being friendly with the BJP earlier. Now to avoid any aggressive action by the Centre or the state government it has to play its cards well in Rajya Sabha,” said a political analyst.

The regional party had bailed out the NDA government on several contentious issues in the last 10 years and BJP-BJD were often dubbed as two sides of the same coin by the Congress.

“By aligning with the BJP, the BJD had not only let go its main issue, central neglect, but also gave away its purpose of existence as a regional party. The irony is Odia Asmita became a major poll issue against a state party and a national party benefitted out of it. Had the BJD fought the BJP all along, it would not have faced such a precarious situation,” the analyst added.

The Naveen Patnaik-led party’s role has again assumed significance since BJP’s strength in the Upper House has dropped to 86 with four nominated members – Rakesh Sinha, Ram Shakal, Sonal Mansingh and Mahesh Jethmalani – completing their tenure on July 13. They were non-aligned members, nominated by President Droupadi Murmu, but had formally aligned with the NDA.

The NDA has 101 members, falling short of the current 113 majority mark in the House of Elders, whose maximum strength can be 245. At present, the Rajya Sabha has a total strength of 226 members with 19 vacancies. Though the party can still pass bills in the Upper House with the support of seven non-aligned members, one Independent member and friendly parties like AIADMK and YSRCP with 4 and 11 members respectively, all eyes will be on BJD to see which way it tilts, having announced that it would stop lending “issue-based support” and be a “strong and vibrant” Opposition in Parliament.

The present vacancies, include 11 seats held by elected members for which elections are expected later this year. These vacancies include two seats each in Maharashtra, Assam and Bihar, and one seat each in Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Tripura. Four seats from Jammu and Kashmir are also vacant.

BJD’s ‘no-support’ policy to NDA well-timed?
In such a scenario, it may seem that the BJD’s ‘no-support’ policy to the NDA in the Rajya Sabha, where it still has 9 MPs, is well-timed for keeping the former ‘friend’, the BJP, under pressure in the Upper House.

Looking back at past bonhomie
In its past two terms, the BJP often took the money bill route to bypass the Rajya Sabha, where it did not have strong majority. It pushed through some of the financial legislations without the need for consensus. The Upper House can’t reject a money bill and can only hold it back for 14 days. However, this time with the party not gaining absoulte majority even in Lok Sabha and having to rely on its allies to face a much stronger Opposition, it may face difficulties and political standoffs while passing money bills in the Lok Sabha. In such a scenario, here’s a look at how the BJD had supported the BJP in passing of some key legislation’s in the Rajya Sabha earlier:

1) Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019: The BJD had supported the NDA in the Rajya Sabha in 2019 to pass this bill. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote, with 125 in favour and 61 opposing it. There was one abstention.
2) UAPA Amendment Bill, 2019: The bill had sought to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 to add new provisions dealing with terrorist acts as well as people and groups that endorse or assist terrorism. With support from the BJD, it bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 147 votes in favour and 42 against.
3) Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019: The bill was introduced to seek changes in the Right to Information Act, 2005. The amendment allowed the government to change the term of Information Commissioners, as well as carry out salary reductions. This was passed in the Upper House with the support of BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now Bharat Rashtra Samiti) and YSR Congress. About 117 members supported it, while 75 voted against it.
4) Triple Talaq Bill, 2019: The bill that made instant triple talaq a criminal offence, was passed in the Rajya Sabha following non-aligned BJD’s support to it. It had the support of 99 members and 84 opposing it.

Having leant the hard way, the BJD has to move forward in a well-calibrated so that it’s not seen playing second fiddle to the BJP in Delhi while safeguarding its own interests in Odisha.