January
28,
2004
Press
Statement
The
Polit
Bureau
of
the
CPI(M)
meeting
at
Hyderabad
has
issued
the
following
statement:
The
manner
in
which
the
Vajpayee
government
announced
its
decision
recommending
the
dissolution
of
the
Lok
Sabha
on
February
6
constitutes
a
grave
constitutional
impropriety.
Throwing
to
the
winds
all
norms
of
parliamentary
democracy
the
government
did
not
even
wait
for
the
winter
session
that
it
itself
had
convened
to
begin
from
January
29.
The
prerogative
of
the
Prime
Minister
and
the
government
to
recommend
dissolution
and
go
in
for
early
polls
could
have
been
exercised
during
the
course
of
the
session
that
they
had
convened.
It
is
a
mockery
of
parliamentary
functioning
to
convene
a
session
and
to
announce
before
the
formal
commencement
of
the
session
that
the
house
would
be
dissolved.
The
Prime
Minister
and
the
government
may
have
the
prerogative
to
dissolve
the
house
but
they
need
to
explain
to
the
people
and
the
country
the
reasons
for
dissolving
the
house
and
advancing
the
elections.
This
is
particularly
so
of
a
government
that
has
constantly
argued
in
favour
of
a
fixed
five-year
tenure
for
the
Lok
Sabha
in
the
past.
It
is
clear
that
the
government
is
abdicating
its
responsibility
and
accountability
to
parliament
and
the
country
on
the
state
of
the
economy.
Normally
the
budget
session
takes
stock
of
the
economic
situation
since
the
last
budget
and
on
the
basis
of
the
revenue
and
expenditures
of
the
government
decides
on
new
measures.
Without
undertaking
such
an
exercise
this
government
has
already
announced
a
series
of
measures
entailing
expenditures
of
anywhere
around
Rs.
12,000
crores
as
sops
to
sections
of
people
in
return
for
their
electoral
support.
Similarly,
the
vote
on
account
to
be
placed
on
February
3,
is
likely
to
contain
yet
another
set
of
sops.
These
constitute
both
constitutional
and
moral
impropriety
since
the
expenditures
on
these
would
have
to
be
borne
eventually
by
the
people
after
the
elections.
Such
political
chicanery
is
being
resorted
to
at
a
time
when
no
threat
exists
to
the
continuation
of
this
government
warranting
an
early
mandate
to
be
taken
from
the
people.
The
Polit
Bureau
of
the
CPI(M)
is
confident
that
the
Indian
people
will
see
through
such
political
subterfuge
and
give
a
proper
rebuff
to
such
manipulators
in
the
forthcoming
elections.