Topic 1 : Parliamentary affairs: On the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha
Context: The last 17th Lok Sabha session served as a preparatory forum for the polls
Introduction
- With the conclusion of the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha on Saturday, the bugle has been sounded and the battle lines drawn for the general election.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted a sharp attack on the Congress and its leaders in his various interventions during the session, while avoiding criticism of any of the regional parties or their leaders.
Last session: a bit cheerful!
- After the unprecedented suspension of 146 members during the winter session, the last session began on a more cheerful note.
- All members were back in the House, including the 14 Members of Parliament (MP) whose cases were referred to the privilege committees of the two Houses. The committees cleared their names, just ahead of the session.
- But Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP and leader Sanjay Singh, who was recently re-elected to the Upper House, could not take oath on the ground that the breach of privilege cases against him moved in his previous term are still pending.
- The Rajya Sabha privileges committee has not even scheduled a meeting.
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Suspension of MPs
- In order for the House to run smoothly, the Presiding Officer—Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha—has a role and a duty to maintain order.
- The Speaker or Chairman might require a Member to leave the House in order to guarantee that business is conducted correctly.
Rules under which the Presiding Officer/Chairman acts: for Lok Sabha
- Rule Number 373 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business
- It gives presiding officers the authority to order an MP to leave the House if they engage in any disruptive behaviour.
According to this rule, any member who is so instructed to withdraw must skip the rest of the day's proceedings.
- Rules 374 and 374A - To deal with more recalcitrant (uncooperative)
- If the MP keeps up their disruptions of the House despite being warned repeatedly, Rule 374 gives the Presiding Officers the authority to name the lawmakers.
- Subsequently, the House may propose a motion to suspend the MP for a maximum duration of the current session.
- December 2001 saw the addition of Rule 374A to the Rule Book. The idea was to get around the need to approve a motion for suspension.
Rules for Rajya Sabha
- It gives the Rajya Sabha Chairman the authority to order any member who exhibits disruptive behaviour to leave the House right away.
- This rule gives the Chairperson the authority to designate the members who consistently flout the Chair's authority or violate Council rules.
- The House then has the option to approve a motion suspending the member for the duration of the current session, no more than that.
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The Last Five Years
- The last five years have been unprecedented in Indian parliamentary history. Parliament shifted to newer and much larger precincts, amid criticism of its design, from the British-era building.
- Paradoxically, just as parliamentarians got more room, the 17th Lok Sabha witnessed the continuous erosion of the role of the Opposition.
- In a first, the Lok Sabha functioned without a Deputy Speaker — a post that is conventionally occupied by the Opposition — for the entire term.
- The five years were also marked by a steady decline in the Opposition’s bench strength in the Rajya Sabha.
- The Congress has only 30 members in the Upper House, far behind the 93 members from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The government had its way and say, while the Opposition spent time on the sidelines.
Conclusion
The 17th Lok Sabha concluded, with battle lines drawn for the general election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacking Congress and its leaders, avoiding criticism of regional parties.
Topic 2 : A privileged strategic partnership, without a gulf
Context: Among India’s strategic partnership agreements, none displays more convergence and mutual respect at all levels than the one with the United Arab Emirates
Introduction
- India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 13-14, 2024, marking his seventh visit since 2015 and the third in the last eight months. The UAE has become India's strategic partner and a key pillar of its Gulf region engagement.
- It will include inaugurating a temple built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Dhabi.
India-UAE Relationship and Economic Partnerships
- The India-UAE relationship extends beyond strategic partnerships, with notable events like the UAE President's felicitation at the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Summit and the co-launch of the Global Green Credit Initiative.
- Bilateral trade grew to $85 billion in 2022-23, making the UAE India's third-largest trading partner and second-largest export destination.
- The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aims to increase trade in services to $115 billion in five years.
- The Indian government approved a bilateral investment treaty with the UAE in February 2024, boosting bilateral economic engagement.
- Fintech convergence is evident with the RuPay card accepted in the UAE since August 2019, and the rupee being accepted for transactions at Dubai's airports since July 2023.
Energy security
- The UAE is also India’s trusted partner in energy security, being the only nation from the region which has strategic oil reserves stored in India.
- An agreement was signed in Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to to invest in the strategic crude oil storage facility in Mangaluru with an initial investment of $400 million.
- Defence and security cooperation and people-to-people ties too are critical cogs in the relationship.
Strategic ties
- Within the region, both countries are in close coordination and a part of a number of important groupings such as the I2U2 or the West Asian Quad comprising India, Israel, the United States and the UAE.
- The UAE is also part of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) infrastructure project that was signed during the G-20 summit in Delhi.
- The corridor aims to connect India to Europe across the Arabian peninsula, and is a potential rival to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
- The visit also comes at a critical time with the war in Gaza enveloping the region. The visit will provide the two leaders an opportunity to confer on this very critical issue.
Conclusion
- India's strategic partnership with the UAE demonstrates convergence and mutual respect, with few major divergence issues.
- Both countries value the UAE's role in the region and India's potential for global leadership, recognizing the partnership's strength in the future.