BJP praises Pranab for thwarting govt move to bring in ordinances

New Delhi: BJP today said there are good reasons to believe that a “reluctant” President Pranab Mukherjee scuttled the government’s move to promulgate a set of anti-graft ordinances and lauded him as constitutionalist who can set a great precedent for the future. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the government’s consideration was driven by the desire of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to push certain laws so that he can claim to be a part of the “anti-corruption crusade”. [caption id=“attachment_1419209” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pranab Mukherjee. AFP.[/caption] “If media reports are to be believed, the government’s decision to promulgate a certain set of ordinances under Article 123 was scuttled by a reluctant President Pranab Mukherjee. There are good reasons to believe that the media reports are correct,” he wrote on his blog. “Why were these bills not approved earlier? Why can’t they wait for the June session of Parliament? These are relevant questions which the President is entitled to ask,” he said. Noting that the President is vested with an and unstated moral authority, Jaitley said Mukherjee might have consulted experts and different political parties or sent back the ordinances for reconsideration. “All this would have raised doubts about the constitutional fairness of the government, an impression which an already weak government could ill-afford. The constitutionalist as the President can set a great precedent for the future,” he said. Heaping praise on Mukherjee, he said only a President, who has the stature of a statesman commanding public respect, can exercise this moral authority. “He is amongst the most experienced parliamentarians. His memory for precedents and propriety has been unparalleled.” PTI