The Bill commits the government to a vast expenditure year after year, and, hence, cannot be pushed through without a thorough debate in Parliament, says JP.
Lok Satta Party national president Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, on Thursday, deplored the Union cabinet's decision to rush through the Food Security Bill through an ordinance.
JP pointed out that the Food Security Bill is equivalent to a money Bill as it commits the government to a vast expenditure year after year. It cannot, therefore, be pushed through an ordinance without a thorough debate in Parliament, he said.
In a media statement, JP said that a government must resort to an ordinance only if the matter is urgent and the legislature cannot meet in the near future.
"The Food Security Bill warrants a thorough discussion since it involves issues of far-reaching importance. For instance, it cannot be enforced without bringing the states on board," JP pointed out.
"The government is resorting to the patently undemocratic method for short-term, opportunistic political gains. The game of one-upmanship will erode the credibility and legitimacy of the Government," he said.
JP, who did not go into the merits of the Food Security Bill, said that if the government is seriously concerned about the food security of most of the people, it should strive to build a consensus through the exploration of all alternatives to end malnutrition.
JP welcomed the Union government's affidavit in the Supreme Court listing out measures to unshackle the CBI.
"The moves for the appointment of the CBI director and certain senior officers through a collegium, institution of independent prosecutors, provision of financial autonomy and an independent monitoring mechanism, are all welcome, but not sufficient," he said.
JP said that the government must repeal the "single directive" under which the CBI needs to seek prior government permission for taking up a case against senior functionaries.
"It should also scrap Section 19 of the Prevention Of Corruption Act, under which the CBI needs to get government clearance before it can prosecute anybody," he opined.
JP suggested that, if necessary, the Central Vigilance Commissioner can be made the authority to sanction such investigations and prosecutions, subject to certain safeguards.
"The amending law should provide for the constitution of special courts to expedite trials and ensure swift and effective justice," he said.
"The government should also take steps to strengthen the CBI. As of now, it has a total workforce of 6,000 of whom only 2,500 are investigators. It handles a mere 3,000 cases of the tens of thousands of cases that are filed every year in a vast and populous country like India. In contrast, the Federal Bureau Of Investigation in the US has 60,000 investigators," he said.
"The government should recognize that the CBI is just one of the organs of the rule of law. ACBs and CBCID wings in states handle hundreds of thousands of cases every year. India is the only country in which two-thirds of cases are criminal and only one-third civil. By and large, the state investigative agencies are under the thumb of the government of the day. They, too, should be made autonomous," he said.
JP said that effective rule of law is the cornerstone of democracy and liberty.
"Both democracy and liberty will be in peril if the government cannot ensure that the law is just, efficient and applicable to all without any discrimination. That is possible only when investigative agencies are made autonomous and accountable," he stated. (INN)