Opposition accuses Govt of undermining federal structure

New Delhi, Dec 16: Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha on Monday accused the government of attacking the federal structure and undermining constitutional bodies while claiming that an Emergency-like situation exists in the country.

Participating in a debate on the 75-year journey of the Constitution, Debashish Samantaray, whose party Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is not a part of either the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), alleged that Constitutional watchdogs have been converted into "pet-dogs". "What is the situation today, anyone can be sent to jail, chief ministers were put in jail, denied bail. There is definitely an Emergency in the country, I will say it openly," he said.

"The so-called Constitutional watchdogs have become pet dogs, anyone can be behind bars without justification," he said.

"We speak about Emergency, but there is a pseudo-Emergency in India," he said.

"The Constitution somewhere has gone off track and none of us are willing to address it...," he said.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale alleged that justice is being denied to people under the NDA government and accused it of destroying the Constitution.

"Injustice has been the hallmark of the Modi government. How will PM Modi defend his record on justice to the 21 lakh MGNREGS workers in Bengal who have worked but haven't been paid in three years because the Modi government has withheld Bengal's dues as his party lost elections," Gokhale said.

"The rapists of Bilkis Bano were released by this government. Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi... numerous others are in jail for speaking against the government...

The 750 farmers who died outside the borders of Delhi... People of Manipur who have seen homes burn and family die..., " he said.

"I have the personal privilege of experiencing justice under this government. I was locked up in jail in Gujarat for 155 days...," Gokhale said.

He alleged that minorities are being subjected to "atrocities every day".

Gokhale said, "Where is social justice? Minorities are subjected to atrocities every day, the PM ran a poisonous communal campaign during the Lok Sabha elections.

"Where is economic justice when youth have no jobs and families have no money left, thanks to rising inflation? Can the finance minister at least reduce tax on the middle class.

"Where is political justice when opposition leaders are threatened using the CBI and the ED, and corrupt ones go through the BJP washing machine and become squeaky clean? "

"Our PM loves to talk about the previous government... the way he destroyed the Constitution in ten years, the previous government could not do in 70 years," he said.

"Modi does not care about justice, that is why it was poetic justice when BJP (strength in Lok Sabha) was reduced," he said.

DMK's Tiruchi Siva accused the Union government of undermining the federal structure of the country.

He said while there is no explicit term for federalism in the Preamble of the Constitution, the first line says "Bharat, that is India, is a union of states".

He said the devolution of funds to Tamil Nadu by the Union government has been declining.

"For every One Rupee that we contribute, we get only 0.29 rupee. Tamil Nadu is performing very well, but we are being victimised by the Union government," he said. Siva also expressed concern over the condition of religious as well as lingual minorities.