Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for a stormy winter session of parliament by poking the opposition to snap out of brooding over its Bihar debacle and offered them “tips” to improve performance without indulging in “drama”, drawing a volley of protests. Picking up threads from the washout of the monsoon session over the disallowed demand for a full discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar, the opposition pitched for a debate on the revision of electoral rolls underway in nine states and three Union territories.
During the last session, the treasury had cited former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar’s ruling on December 14, 1988 against discussing the Election Commission of India’s working or decisions, since it was an autonomous body. Suggesting a workaround, the opposition offered to frame the topic for debate instead as an ‘Urgent need for further electoral reforms’ or ‘Urgent need to further strengthen integrity and transparency of the electoral process’.
While the government is yet to take a call, there were indications it might blink. For the record, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought more time to respond. Apart from SIR, the opposition intends to raise a host of issues including the toxic air in Delhi, internal security lapses in the wake of the Red Fort blast, and foreign policy challenges.
The onus is on the executive to create a conducive environment in parliament for inclusive dialogues. Since the institution of parliament is a pillar of democracy that’s meant to promote a plurality of views, all strands of opinion must be allowed to be heard before any legislation passes muster. However, during the last session, all Bills were rammed through amid dins on the House floor. Between 2019 and 2024, 34 percent of Bills were passed with less than an hour of discussion, while 60 percent were debated for less than two hours before they were passed.
That brings us to the other point of interest: the performance of the new Vice-President, C P Radhakrishnan, who began officiating as the Rajya Sabha chairman on Monday. His predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar was partisan, opinionated, and abrasive. While Radhakrishnan advised members to follow the ‘Lakshman rekha’ of parliamentary conduct, his fairness in conducting the proceedings, despite his assurances to the House, will be closely watched.