Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28. The need for a new building was felt for some time on account of India’s increasing population and the consequent requirement for increasing the number of people’s representatives in Parliament. The existing building had reached a saturation point vis-à-vis its ability to accommodate MPs, ministers and their staff. Then Speaker Meira Kumar formed a committee in 2012 to suggest an alternative to the existing Parliament building. But the plan to build it finally materialised in 2019 as part of the Modi government’s Central Vista project. According to the statement issued by the ruling party, the new building will accommodate 1,272 MPs and last for more than 150 years.
The inauguration of the new building is also an opportunity to ponder. Will a new Parliament give democracy a fresh start by restoring debates and discussions on people’s issues? Or will the political parties carry their bitterness over to the new building and continue with disruptions and boycotts of proceedings? Parliamentary proceedings have been on a downward curve, with the last budget session being the least productive in the last five years. Inflexibility on the part of the Opposition and treasury members has caused unprecedented disruptions, leading to an alarming decrease in the number of sittings, especially of the Lok Sabha. The 16th Lok Sabha sat for a record low of 331 days, and the present one (17th) has had 230 sittings so far.
If things do not improve, the current Lok Sabha is all set to earn the dubious distinction of having the lowest number of sittings. The real beauty of a legislature lies in the quality of debates for improving people’s lives and ushering in legislation that fosters the constitutional ideals of justice, equality and fraternity. But the Indian Parliament has turned into a sorry spectacle in the last few years, with the two sides showing contempt for each other, resulting in a complete breakdown of all lines of communication. The inauguration of the new Parliament building gives the ruling party and the Opposition a chance to make a fresh start and resume the process of serious law-making. It will help restore people’s faith in this vital institution of democracy.