It’s time: BJP-Congress — come together and pass Lokpal Bill

The math is simple. The Congress has 207 members in the Lok Sabha and the BJP has a 115. In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 71 and the BJP 51. Between them, they have an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha and just one seat short of an absolute majority in the Rajya Sabha.

Fundamentally, the two parties, if they come together, can pass any bill and make it law.

For example, they could ensure passage of the Lokpal bill — if they can find common ground. Both parties have claimed that they are committed to passing a ‘strong’ Lokpal Bill. All they have to do, then, is to bridge the gap that exists between the two.

The major points of difference between the two are as follows:

The BJP does not want a quota for minorities, the Congress does. The BJP wants the CBI to be administratively independent, the Congress doesn’t. The BJP does not want the imposition of the Lokayukta model on the states.

This is the time that the two parties can prove, unambiguously, that their niyyat, as Anna Hazare calls it, is sincere.

For the Congress, rather than try and negotiate with many ‘allies’ who have contradictory positions on the Lokpal, to negotiate with one single party, the BJP, is a more efficient way to try and get the bill passed into law in the current session of Parliament.

For the BJP, the very thought that they could project themselves as having played a decisive role in the creation of the law is an upside; it instantly pitchforks them into centre-stage.

It’s time for statesmanship, not politicking. In the current atmosphere, the political classes are getting battered as far as public opinion is concerned. Fail to pass this law and the image of the politician takes a further beating.

“While the political establishment is busy arguing the Lok Pal Bill in Parliament, the Transparency International India (TII), in a survey, has found that 74 per cent Indians believe that the level of corruption has gone up in the last three years and 55 per cent felt that the Union government was ineffective to curb the menace,” reports Business Standard .

The two parties, who are the biggest losers as far as their image is concerned, are the two largest parties in the country — the Congress and the BJP. It is ironic that the Lokpal Bill gives them a unique opportunity to jointly improve the public’s perception of them; but this is an opportunity that they need to grab.

That’s why the two parties need to spend time with each over the Christmas weekend. Both have astute negotiators in their ranks. Both are successful in politics. Now they need to rise above their selfish party interests and take a step, together, in creating a law that the country desperately needs.

The smaller parties will not bear the brunt of public anger if the bill does not pass in Parliament. It’s the two largest parties that will.

If they can afford to take the risk, go on with the fencing and the shadow-boxing. It’s like continuing to gamble when you’re almost bust.