The worst display of authoritarianism is being witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP alliance is unsure of getting a majority on all legislation. So the approach is to muzzle the opposition – refusal to refer any important legislation to a joint select committee, refusal to have a comprehensive discussion on bills, and most objectionably, not allowing a member’s right to call for division and voting.The Rajya Sabha saw on an opening day the adoption of a resolution suspending 12 MPs for the entire session. They were alleged to have behaved in an unruly and violent fashion during the previous session on August 11. This was a premeditated provocation to get the opposition to react and create a situation whereby the government could get all its bills passed without opposition.It must be recalled that the alleged incident of “unruly behaviour” of the MPs was occasioned by the fact that the bill to privatise General Insurance was pushed through without taking up a motion to refer it to a select committee and also the denial of a vote on the matter.
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