TMC Boycotts JPC, Samajwadi Party Likely To Stay Away

The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, announced its decision to opt out of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to examine the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill. The proposed bill seeks to remove the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers if detained or arrested for 30 consecutive days. Following TMC’s announcement, the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by Akhilesh Yadav, may also follow the same path. A source quoted by news agency PTI said the SP is unlikely to nominate any member to the proposed JPC.

SP Yet to Confirm Stand on JPC Participation

The Samajwadi Party has not issued an official confirmation on its participation in the JPC. However, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien wrote in his blog that the SP has already decided not to nominate any member to the panel. He said, “The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), the second largest Opposition parties in Parliament, decided not to nominate any of its members to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) being proposed to examine the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, calling the committee a ‘farce’.”

Derek O’Brien Criticizes JPC Structure

In his blog post, Derek O’Brien explained the reasons behind TMC’s refusal to join the JPC. He pointed out that the JPC chairperson is selected by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, while its members are chosen as per the numerical strength of each party. He argued that this structure “skewed towards the ruling majority” gives the government more control over the committee. He added that the system leaves little space for opposition parties, which makes their participation meaningless in such a setting dominated by the ruling alliance.

O’Brien Accuses NDA of Using ‘Brute Majority’

Derek O’Brien alleged that the BJP-led NDA uses its strength in numbers to influence the outcome of JPC reports. He said, “There is no consensus in every JPC over the final report. The ruling party uses its brute majority to defeat the amendments proposed by opposition MPs by a show of hands. Those in the opposition, holding an alternate view, are outvoted. The only recourse left is to table a dissenting note – for the record.” He underlined that this process undermines the purpose of fair deliberation within parliamentary committees.

TMC Says JPCs Have Lost Original Purpose

The TMC leader further argued that JPCs no longer serve the democratic role they were designed for. He said, “JPCs were conceived as democratic and well-intentioned mechanisms, established through motions passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and they ensured transparency and public accountability.” O’Brien emphasized that this objective has been compromised. He stressed, “However, this purpose has eroded significantly post-2014, with JPCs increasingly being manipulated by the government in power.” He urged attention to the weakening of parliamentary processes and accused the ruling party of controlling committee decisions.

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