Modi@8: A Look at Eight Key Legislations of the Narendra Modi Govt Since 2014 & Their Impact

The Narendra Modi government completes eight years in power on May 26, with the prime minister saying the tenure has been dedicated to India’s social justice, balanced development and social security. Addressing BJP workers ahead of his government achieving the feat, PM Modi asked the cadre to “not rest” on their laurels and instead reach out to every beneficiary of government schemes.

Among the various schemes, infrastructure works, and decisions taken by the Narendra Modi government in the past eight years, the spotlight has also been on several legislations, including some which were considered contentious.

On eight years of the government, News18 takes a look at eight key legislations:

1. Triple Talaq Law: In a major victory for Muslim women and a step which cemented support for BJP from women voters, Parliament passed the Triple Talaq Bill to criminalise instant divorce. The practice of instant divorce by Muslim men is now punishable with a jail term of up to three years. Arrests can be made without a warrant, and bail is given only at the discretion of a magistrate. “Triple talaq“, or talqa-e-biddah as its known among Muslim communities, is a practice which gives a man the right to divorce his wife by uttering ‘talaq’ three times in one sitting, in any form including email or text message, without his wife’s consent. The government was able to get the Bill to be passed by both Houses of Parliament as it had the numbers, and the abstinence of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) from voting made it easier.
2. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019: On August 5, 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill and announced the abrogation of Article 370, a move which led to massive pushback from the Opposition as well as the state since it took away the special status previously accorded to Jammu and Kashmir — autonomy over creating laws and not enforcing many created by the central government. The J&K Reorganisation Bill, once passed by both Houses of Parliament, paved the way for splitting Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories — J&K, with its own legislative Assembly like Delhi, and Ladakh without one like Chandigarh. Terming the decision “illegal and unconstitutional”, several Valley leaders such as Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah called for a rethink. However, the government said abrogation of Article 370 gave armed forces decisive control over militancy in Kashmir.
3. GST Law: The Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016, paved the way for introduction of Goods and Services Tax in the country. After GST Council approved the Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill), the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill), the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill), the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the states) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill), the Lok Sabha passed these Bills on March 29, 2017. The Rajya Sabha also passed these Bills on April 6, 2017. These Bills were then enacted as Acts on April 12, 2017. After the enactment of various GST laws, GST was launched with effect from July 1, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, in a midnight function at the Central Hall of Parliament. The tax regime aims to bring India’s 1.3 billion-strong population under a single market for the first time since the country’s independence but has been criticised by the Opposition and some stakeholders in the industry.
4. Farm Laws: In what is considered the biggest climb-down for the government in its tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19, 2021, announced the repeal of the three contentious farm laws, which had seen farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, protesting against them at the borders of Delhi since November 26, 2020. The journey of the three farm laws — The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — began on June 5, 2020, when the President of India promulgated three ordinances­ that were the precursors to these Acts. However, their implementation was stayed by the Supreme Court on January 12, 2021. Facing flak from the Opposition, especially ahead of crucial assembly elections in five states, PM Modi announced that the laws would be repealed and asked farmers to return home.
5. Citizenship Amendment Act: The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill by both Houses of Parliament, followed by the President’s assent, led to widespread protests across the country. The Act proposes to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Christian minorities who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before 2015. The move also led to widespread protests as some called it “discriminatory”. The creation of a National Registry of Indian Citizens (NRIC, sometimes also referred to as NRC) and a National Population Register (NPR) also evoked a strong reaction. Amid the din, PM Modi assured the citizens that the controversial Act does not take way away anybody’s citizenship, adding that a section of the youth is being misguided about the Act. “CAA is not about taking away citizenship, it is about giving citizenship. Today, on National Youth Day, I would like to tell this to the youngsters of India, West Bengal, North East that this is not an overnight law for giving citizenship. We must all know that any person of any religion from any country of the world who believes in India and its Constitution can apply for Indian citizenship through due process. There’s no problem in that.”
6. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019: Parliament approved the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, which gives the power to the Centre and states to declare any individual a terrorist and confiscate their property. The Bill, moved by Home Minister Amit Shah, was passed by both Houses even as the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress called it a draconian move. Shah said the Bill would send a strong message that India was united in its fight against terrorism and assured that it provides a four-level scrutiny to keep violation of human rights in check. He said declaring individuals as terrorists is required as they “float different organisations once an institution is banned”. Individuals can be declared terrorists if they commit or participate in acts of terrorism, prepare or promote terror, he said, saying the amendment will expedite prosecution in terror cases.
7. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2019: The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, towards the end of its first term in office, had brought the 124th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2019, providing for people from economically weaker sections (EWS) to avail of 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutes. This cleared the decks for those in the general category with an annual income of up to Rs 8 lakh and not availing of any reservation other than vertical quota (ex-servicemen, persons with disability, etc), to seek reservation in government jobs and education. The bill, now an Act, amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, by adding a clause which allows states to make “special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens”. It also said the reservation would be “in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of 10 per cent of the total seats in each category”.
8. SPG (Amendment) Act: In yet another decision that triggered a row, Parliament passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Post the amendment of the Act, SPG cover is now to be provided only to the prime minister and his immediate family members staying with him at the PM’s residence, besides former prime ministers and their immediate family residing with them for not more than five years after demitting office. The move snatched the cover of former PM Manmohan Singh as well as that of the Gandhi family and led to a heated war of words. While the Congress termed this “vendetta politics”, Home Minister Amit Shah said he was “opposed to dynasties, not families”. He said the government was concerned about the security of “130 crore Indians,” and they included the Gandhis as well as “BJP workers”.

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