US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI3736

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 003736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, PINR, IN, Indian Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT CONCLUDES A STORMY YET PRODUCTIVE 
SESSION 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 3652 
 
Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Despite BJP disruptions and a boycott of 
Parliament, the UPA and the Left Front (LF) passed crucial 
legislation and the budget during the session which ended May 
13.  Growing animosity between the BJP and the UPA underlies 
the inability of the parties to cooperate in Parliament, 
which is leading to popular dissatisfaction with these 
antics.  The BJP is getting most of the blame and lawmaking 
will suffer if the two coalitions cannot work together in 
Parliament.  End Summary. 
 
Return to Boycott 
----------------- 
 
2.  (U) The 2005 budget session of Parliament (February 
25-May 13) was marred by the discord and opposition walk-outs 
that have characterized the Lok Sabha since the UPA took 
office in May 2005.  Loud conflicts on the floor brought 
business to a standstill, and rancor continued from the 
session's opening day until the opposition announced a 
boycott and walked out on April 27. 
 
3.  (U) Divisive issues included: 
 
--the NDA demand that the UPA dismiss Railway Minister Lalu 
Prasad Yadav, as he faces mounting legal pressure for alleged 
corruption; 
 
--Yadav's call for the dismissal of Gujarat Chief Minister 
Narendra Modi, after Lalu was attacked by BJP activists while 
conducting Ministry business in Gujarat; 
 
--Yadav's condemnation of the Election Commission for alleged 
impropriety in a Bihar by-election; 
 
--UPA demands that the GOI reject the Tehelka Committee 
Report absolving former Defense Minister George Fernandes of 
corruption charges, on the grounds that the Committee 
Chairman had accepted rides on Indian Air Force planes prior 
to his ruling on the case. 
 
--BSP leader Mayawati's condemnation of a GOI investigation 
of her "unexplained" wealth allegedly obtained through the 
"Taj Corridor" and fraud in Uttar Pradesh; and 
 
--BJP attacks against PM Singh as "the weakest Prime Minister 
ever," and accusations that he tried to prevent a meeting 
between former PM Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez 
Musharraf. 
 
Growing Discord 
--------------- 
 
4.  (U) When the NDA walked out on April 27, it accused the 
UPA of "setting new and absolutely unacceptable norms of 
political conduct," and "gagging the voice of the 
opposition."  Opposition leader LK Advani subsequently 
rejected the PM's appeal to end the boycott, claiming that it 
had been called not merely to demand Yadav's ouster, but to 
"convey the anger and anguish" of the opposition.  The NDA 
also objected to a remark by Congress leader and Sonia Gandhi 
confidant Ambika Soni, calling on the NDA to "apologize" 
before returning to Parliament, as well as a statement by PM 
Press Adviser Sanjay Baru that the PM would make no more 
appeals to win NDA participation.  Advani claimed that "the 
message is loud and clear that the opposition is not needed." 
 Although NDA MPs returned for one day to debate the budget, 
the opposition boycott continued throughout the remainder of 
the session. 
 
5.  (U) As the boycott dragged on, there were signs that NDA 
unity was cracking.  The press reported that former PM 
Vajpayee, Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha argued in private 
for a return to Parliament, while LK Advani, George Fernandes 
and Janata Dal (U) leader Nitish Kumar were bent on staying 
out.  By May 4, the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) of Andhra 
Pradesh announced that its support for the NDA was only 
"issue based." 
 
6.  (U) After TDP MPs returned to Parliament, BJP leaders VK 
Malhotra and Sushma Swaraj dismissed the move as 
insignificant, claiming that the party was "free to choose 
its own course." 
 
Smooth Sailing 
-------------- 
 
7.  (U) Without the opposition present, the Left Front 
stepped into the role of "constructive opposition" abandoned 
by the BJP, and the UPA and LF got down to business.  In his 
wrap-up May 15, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi 
Azad claimed that the session was among the "most productive 
of the past five years," pointing out that its 38 sittings 
were the highest number since 2002, and that the session had 
passed 26 pieces of legislation, including: the Patents 
(Amendment) Bill, the Prevention of Money Laundering Bill, 
the Right to Information Bill, the Weapons of Mass 
Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of 
Unlawful Activities) Bill (reftel), the Finance Bill, and the 
Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Bill, in addition 
to the Budget. 
 
8.  (U) Parliament also approved the establishment of a 
Coastal Aquaculture Authority, and Special Economic Zones. 
In addition to approving the General and Railway Budgets, the 
MPs discussed the budgets of Goa and Bihar (currently under 
President's Rule), the functioning of government ministries, 
relief and rehabilitation of tsunami victims, agricultural 
issues, and reforming the education and criminal justice 
systems. 
 
9.  (SBU) Parliament's passage of the Private Security 
Agencies (Regulation) Bill, which regulates the ownership and 
operation of privately owned security agencies, could 
directly impact Embassy operations.  Article Six of the Bill 
appears to indicate that such companies must be majority 
owned by Indian citizens.  Since the Mission retains a 
British-owned company, the Bill's impact is not yet clear. 
 
 
The Last Laugh 
-------------- 
 
10.  (U) The Congress and its UPA allies capitalized on the 
NDA boycott, appearing conciliatory and magnanimous.  At the 
conclusion of the session, the PM commended UPA 
parliamentarians while calling on absent members to return 
for the next session so Parliament could resume "the normal 
tenor" of its work.  "Once again," said the PM, "we end the 
session with a sense of regret and concern" as MPs had 
"ignored" the people's concerns by staying away from 
Parliament.  The Parliamentary Affairs Minister invited the 
opposition MPs to come "in full strength" to the upcoming 
"monsoon session," saying "Parliament does not belong only to 
the ruling party.  If any political party boycotts the 
proceedings, it does not enhance the prestige of the 
Parliament." 
 
11.  (U) Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi was the most 
partisan.  Deriding the NDA for "spreading canards against 
the Prime Minister in crude and offensive language," she 
praised him for "going out of his way" to persuade the 
opposition MPs to return, saying "not even our most bitter 
critic can accuse our Prime Minister of being arrogant, 
subjective and or inconsiderate, yet this is what the BJP has 
done."  Mrs. Gandhi also blamed the BJP boycott for 
Parliament's failure to pass the Rural Employment Guarantee 
Act, a crucial component of the UPA's Common Minimum Program, 
saying that the absence of BJP MPs prevented the bill from 
passing out of committee. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
12.  (C) Indian politics has always been nasty and 
acrimonious, but we cannot recall a Parliament session that 
has been so bitter.  Personal animosity increasingly colors 
interaction between the rival parties.  The Gandhi family 
loathes George Fernandes, much of the BJP leadership cannot 
stand Laloo Prasad Yadav, while Yadav has a personal vendetta 
against Narendra Modi.  The antagonism has become so fierce 
that it prevents the orderly functioning of Parliament. 
Wiser heads within the BJP realize that a boycott is not an 
effective opposition strategy, and are urging the party to 
step back from the brink and return to a more constructive 
role, but appear incapable of convincing the party 
hardliners.  Congress has benefited from this, but cannot 
conduct parliamentary business in a credible manner over the 
long term without opposition participation.  BJP performance 
at the July/August session of Parliament will confirm whether 
the party has learned its lesson from the outcome of the 
Budget session. 
BLAKE