Opposition Unites to Delay New Criminal Laws, Urges Fresh Parliamentary Review
Image Credits: Telegraph India
Energised by the election results, a rejuvenated Opposition is strategically coordinating to pressure the BJP-led NDA government to defer the implementation of three new laws set to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Evidence Act. They are also planning to challenge the government on the NEET and UGC-NET controversies in the upcoming session of the 18th Lok Sabha. Following Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin’s letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting a delay in the new laws, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for a postponement and a fresh parliamentary review.
This coordination occurs amidst improving relations between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram recently met Mamata, marking a potential thaw in the rivalry, as the Congress and TMC had contested against each other in West Bengal’s recent Lok Sabha elections. With Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a strong critic of Mamata, no longer the Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha after losing his seat, TMC sources anticipate better floor coordination between the two parties. During the meeting, Mamata expressed a more conciliatory attitude towards the Congress, even suggesting Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should contest against Modi in Varanasi and offering campaign support.
Opposition sources indicate that the INDIA alliance parties have shared their views on the government’s decision not to appoint senior Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh as the pro-tem Speaker. They plan to collectively raise issues such as the NEET and UGC-NET controversies and the West Bengal train accident, alongside pressuring the government to suspend the new criminal laws’ implementation.
In her letter to the PM, Mamata expressed “grave concern” about the new laws, stating they were passed “unilaterally, and with absolutely no debate” during a “dark hour of democracy.” She argued for a postponement to allow the newly elected Parliament to review the laws, citing both ethical and practical reasons, emphasising the need for thorough examination and training of law enforcement and judicial personnel.
Mamata also criticised the Union Ministry of Law and Justice for not involving the state government in a conference held in Kolkata, deeming it “highly objectionable.” She urged that the postponement would reinforce public trust and uphold the rule of law. Last November, opposition MPs, including Chidambaram and TMC’s Derek O’Brien, criticised the three criminal law amendment bills, labelling them as merely a “copy and paste” job and an “election stunt.”
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