Centre Smuggling In Amendments To Finance Bill: Sitaram Yechury

Ahead of discussions on the Finance Bill in Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday said the Centre is trying to "subterfuge" parliamentary democracy by "smuggling" in amendments to the Bill. He said the government declares the finance bill as money bill, thus making Rajya Sabha "infructuous" which is a dangerous "sleight of hand" adopted by the Centre and undermines parliamentary democracy.

"What the government is doing is major subterfuge of our parliamentary democracy. They are smuggling in amendments to laws which normally should not be in the finance bill in order to avoid scrutiny and decision making authority of the Rajya Sabha.

"By smuggling them as part of the Finance Bill, they declare the finance bill as money bill, and therefore they make Rajya Sabha infructuous. This is a dangerous sleight of hand that is being adopted by the government and undermines the parliamentary democracy which is something we cannot accept," he said outside the Parliament.

He was asked whether his party is going to raise the issue in Rajya Sabha regarding the way certain changes were made by the government to the Bill.

The Lok Sabha completed its Budgetary exercise for 2017-18 after passing the Finance Bill on March 22.

Amidst walkout by the members of the Congress and the BJD, the Finance Bill with 40 amendments was passed by the House by voice vote.

Asked whether the opposition has become more "dis-spirited" after the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections, Mr Yechury said the Opposition has realised that they have to pull up their socks, which they are doing.

"As far as Rajya Sabha is concerned, the opposite is true. After UP, the opposition has realized that they will have to pull up their socks together and they are doing it," he said.