Buzz on printing 600 copies of NCRWC Report ahead of spl parliament session
New and Old Parliament
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, September 13: With the five-day special session of parliament commencing from Monday, the power corridors are buzzing with claims that 600 copies, 300 each in English and Hindi, were printed of the report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC).
Summoning the special session of parliament and the constitution of a committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind have set an intense speculation in the political circles of the impending moves of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. While the Opposition demanded that the agenda of the special session of parliament be shared with them, the government despite the promise of Union Minister for parliamentary affairs Pralhad Joshi is yet to share the planned businesses.
“Three hundred copies each of the Hindi and English versions of the NCRWC Report were printed last week. It’s not certain if the report was printed for circulation for the members of parliament or for sharing with the stakeholders in the consultative process on the likely amendments to the Constitution,” said an informed source.
The NCRWC was headed by Justice M. N. Venkatachalaiah. This commission was constituted in 2000 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The commission had submitted its report in 2002. While the report has not be implemented, parts of the recommendations have been adopted in some forms.
Most curious of the recommendations of the report, which is being talked about in the power corridors, was number 60 in Para 4.20.7 of the NCRWC Report. What’s is more curious is the assertion made at the outset in the para that the recommendation may be adopted with any constitutional amendment.
“It should be possible without any constitutional amendment to provide for the election of the Leader of the House (Lok Sabha/State Assembly) along with the election of the Speaker and in like manner under the Rules of Procedure. The person so elected may be appointed the Prime Minister/Chief Minister,” stated the report in paragraph 4.20.7.
Further, the report called for the elections of the leader of the House in the Lok Sabha for Prime Minister and the state Assemblies for chief ministers on the basis of the rules of procedure and conduct of the business of the houses in situations where “no single political party or pre-poll alliance of parties succeeds in securing a clear majority”.
Also, the report, apparently giving effect to conditions for holding simultaneous elections, called for an amendment in the “Rules of Procedure of the Legislatures for adoption of a system of constructive vote of no confidence”, asking for “a motion of no-confidence to be brought out against a government at least 20 per cent of the total number of members of the House should give notice accompanied by a proposal of alternative Leader to be voted simultaneously”.
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