Shrinking space for parliament debates bad for democracy
Former Union minister Arun Jaitley once said that Parliamentary accountability is as important as Parliamentary debate. Both must coexist. His counsel has found no takers, even in his party, which is running the government now. The drop in Parliamentary productivity is breaking new records every year. Protests, adjournments and session curtailments have wiped out almost half of the sessions. Bills have been passed in din without discussion by the government, while the opposition has stalled crucial legislative business. The business advisory committee has failed to get the two sides to bury their differences. The treasury benches have accused the opposition of causing disruptions and denying members the chance to question the executive and discuss issues of public importance. The opposition’s permanent grievance is that the Centre refuses discussion on key issues. It has a long list of demands for discussions that the government has rejected.
The latest relates to the India-China border situation. While the blame game continues, the losers in this game are the people of India and democracy. For, debates and discussions in Parliament educate citizens and help them make more informed choices in terms of legislation required and political leadership. The importance of debates in strengthening democracy cannot be overstated. Parliament sittings have fallen drastically from 120 days a year after Independence to 64 days. A large number of these depleted sittings are also lost due to logjam. What was earlier a common strain in Parliament, where two sides had ‘mat-bhed’ (difference of opinion), but no ‘man-bhed’ (personal differences), seems like a thing of a bygone era.
There appears to be no meeting ground between the ruling and opposition parties. The wide chasm between the two is reflected in the deplorable choice of words both sides use to describe each other. There has also been a steep fall in the quality of public discourse.
The bitterness within and outside Parliament between parties has seeped into the body of the populace with the help of pervasive social media. It is time to stem the rot. Democracy withers in the absence of debates. Parliament must be treated as a place for debate and discussion rather than merely for obstruction and disruption. And the responsibility of restoring order lies with the government and the opposition.