Restore Dignity, Decorum of Legislative Bodies

Disruptions have become an endemic feature of the functioning of the Indian Parliament. No political party seems to be bothered about public issues or the tax payer’s money that is being wasted for narrow political gains.

The politicians argue that protest is part of democratic right. Certainly, it is but that does not give them the right to perpetually disrupt the proceedings which result in legislative paralysis. The lawmakers who are supposed to be responsive to the issues pertaining to their respective constituencies from where they are elected seem to have become immune to criticism and continue to do what they like.

The time spent on discussions and debates in Parliament have drastically come down. This has led to fall of time of productive discussion by 40 per cent and gross underutilisation of the devices available for discussions and debates.

It is high time that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha take the initiative and recommend reforms to restore the honour, dignity and decorum of the legislative forums like Parliament and state Assemblies. The BJP-led NDA government, too, should come up with major reforms, including right to recall their leaders.

During the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, the opposition made so much noise that the issue of NEET got drowned in it. They went on shouting, “we want justice.” But what justice did they get for the NEET students? What was their achievement of disrupting the session? Instead, if they had participated properly in the discussion on the motion of thanks to President’s address and put the government on defensive, perhaps, greater justice to the students could have been achieved. The opposition lost a chance and ended politicising the plight of the students. It is very unfortunate and sad story and one should not hesitate to say that they had cheated the voters who gave such a big majority to the opposition block. The mandate for them is to take on the government – not achieve nothing by protests.

Things are no better in State Legislatives. What is more shocking is the kind of attitude which some leaders like Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy show even after getting decimated at the hustings. It was shocking to hear him speak on Thursday and the manner in which he defended his party candidate Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy who had damaged the EVMs and has been jailed following a serious action by the Election Commission of India. Nothing seems to have changed for him. Not even the language. He said he was cautioning the ruling NDA alliance that there would be reaction if they didn’t stop foisting false cases and stop attacks on YSRCP party workers. He said his party leader broke the EVMs because polls were rigged. Even if they were rigged can anyone damage the EVMs? How can he justify such acts? Who resorted to post poll violence even when the polling was on?

When YSRCP activists armed with rods and sticks ransacked and damaged the TDP headquarters, why was he silent? It was he who was the CM at that time. How come at that time he did not realise that public representatives are supposed to be responsible and curb violence.

Let us look at another aspect of behavior of some leaders who were at helm of affairs. We have seen how some Chief Ministers operated from their palaces and never went to the Secretariat from where they are supposed to have run the administration. They had cut short the number of days of Assembly and never allowed any discussion. It is high time, serious reforms are brought in and the importance of legislative bodies is restored.