The Winter session of parliament is recording new lows in
the happenings in the parliament. It hurts every citizen to see their elected
representatives stoop to the lowest levels of public behaviour. The government
responds like an authority with no option but what is stated in the rule book.
The stalemate is detrimental to the Indian democratic norms. Will it change? It
is anybody’s guess. Yet, to highlight this dilemma, the piece is written below.
It has national security implications, too, as every breach in the parliament
is a tool in the hands of the ‘Enemy of our State’. I hope the readers would at
least tacitly agree with what has been expressed. Do read. Thank You.
Disruptions: The New Democracy-2.0
Is the Indian democracy losing its essence? The fundamental
principle of democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for
the people seems to be fading in contemporary India. While elections symbolise
a functioning democracy, refusal to accept the popular mandate by a few raises
questions about the democratic process. In a democracy, the government is a
function of the people through the ballot. But if a section of society refuses
to accept the constitutional process followed by an incumbent government, does
it not erode the pillars of democracy?
The above dilemma seems to be haunting the Indian state more
and more every passing day. A political party could win elections yet find it
difficult to govern, as the other political parties refuse to accept the
functioning of the executive. The Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary are the
three pillars of a functioning democracy. The task of the three pillars is to
create conditions for its citizens to live better and prosper. These organs of
the state are independent of each other yet are expected to work towards the
common goal of the welfare of its citizens.
Non-Productivity in Parliament
In the system of multiparty democracy, the legislature (The
Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the Parliament) plays a vital role as it represents
the will of the power through the electorate. The business of the houses is
conducted through laid down guidelines. The parliament legislates how the
country is governed based on the 'Constitution and Directive Principles of the
State Policy'. The parliament, therefore, is called the seat of power in a
democracy. Lately, the parliament has become a place of expressing dissent,
leading to disruptions. In every session of parliament, functional democracy
becomes a spectacle of political conflict that rages between the ruling and the
opposition benches. The business of the House of debating on the performance
and introduction of new bills becomes a mere agenda on paper as the time that
is needed to debate and discuss is wasted in protests and a Tug-of-War contest
between the treasury and opposition benches. Each section throws charges
against the other and holds the other side responsible for the chaos that
descends the houses. The budget session of 2023-24, i.e. the current year, was
the worst in the last five years and the second worst in the previous ten
years.
In terms of hours in the budget session of 2023, out of the
allotted 140 hours of scheduled work, the Lok Sabha functioned for only 46
hours, which is 33% of the scheduled time, and the Rajya Sabha functioned for
32 hours, which is 24% of the scheduled time. The legislative productivity was
more dismal. Legislative productivity is defined as introducing, debating,
negating or accepting bills in the parliament. In the Lok Sabha, the
legislative business amounted to 1.1% in productivity and Zero per cent in the
Rajya Sabha. The non-legislative business for Budget Session 2023 took the
lion's share of the parliament's time. Refer chart given below:
Erosion of Faith
The above demonstrates the erosion of the sanctity of
parliament over the years. There is a growing feeling that politics has
degenerated to abysmally low levels; consequently, for the political parties
and their members, it is a norm to defy all moral codes of conduct of public
behaviour. The slogan 'You may win the votes but can never govern' is gaining
credence. Time and again, this slogan's truism has been on display. Be it the
farm bill, the UCC, or the CAA & NRC. The opposition parties have not
allowed the government to pass any of these except the CAA. The opposition
claims the blocking was because the Bill's introduction was without any prior
debate. Their contention is that in its current form, the bills are fraught
with dangers, for they seek to take away from citizens their fundamental
rights. Many of these bills have invited widespread demonstrations in various
parts of the country. Opposition parties have followed a simple formula: What
cannot be stopped in the parliament is opposed on the streets. Thus, the
process of legislation and execution both have obstacles for the government to
surmount.
The above has eroded the functioning of democracy in our
country. Who is to take the blame? It would be unwise to blame the opposition
every time for the fiasco that occurs every day on the streets or in
parliament. There needs to be more common ground between the opposition and the
government. Neither is willing to concede any ground. By the power of numbers
in the two houses of the parliament, the government bulldozes with the passing
of bills without debate. On the other hand, opposition through disruptions and
civil disturbances obstructs the smooth implementation of the bills passed. The
opposition's agenda to restrict the current ruling dispensation from returning
to power in the next elections results in unsavoury methods, leading to
conflict and chaos.
If the gathering of the opposition parties under the INDIA
banner gives them hope to fight the ruling dispensation in the next general
elections, the defeat of the main opposition parties in the recent four state
elections dampens their spirits. Such opposing outcomes make matters worse. As
seen in this year's (2023) winter session in the parliament, it has resulted in
an ugly situation. An unprecedented 141 opposition party members stand
suspended in the parliament. Under such circumstances, any bills introduced or
passed in the parliament are termed 'Draconian'. It is unfair to criticise the
opposition as it is hard to justify the passage of bills without discussion.
Yet it is hard to criticise the government when opposition members storm the
well inside the House despite repeated warnings. Outside the parliament,
opposition MPs mock the speaker of Rajya Sabha. It's 'Tamasha on the Streets'
in its worst avatar. The sanctity of the parliament and the functionaries is
eroded beyond repair.
Suspended Opposition MPs conduct mock Parliament sesssion;
TMC MP Kalyan Bannerjee mimics Jagdeep Dhankhar
How does an ordinary citizen react? In sheer disgust, they
remain mute spectators when their representatives mock their vote. The irony is
that no mechanism is available to a commoner to direct his grievance. Citizens
expect their representatives to function more civilly and see more cordial
relations between political leaders across the divide. Such precedents exist
when opposite party leaders wined and dined together outside the parliamentary
hours. Yet, in the current political environment, such happenings are unheard
of. The flip side of such politics is the erosion of Values of democracy in the
minds of ordinary citizens.
Is there a threat to national Security?
Yes, there is. The happenings on 13 December 2023, the
anniversary of an attack on the parliament by a youth brigade inside and
outside, lay bare the chinks that exist in guarding the parliament against
outside threats. Who is to be blamed for the lapse? Only time will tell if the
findings of the Investigative Committee are disclosed to the public. It does
not matter if the MP issuing the pass was from the ruling benches or the
opposition; that the Security could be subverted is a red flag. That it's a matter
of grave breach of Security is forgotten in politics. The opposition claims the
breach occurred due to a lapse from a sitting ruling party MP, and the
government refuses to make a statement on how the breach occurred. Result: A
field day for the offenders and their Handlers. Any breach in Security is a new
weapon in the armoury of the enemy of the state. It forms part of a data bank
they would use someday and come to haunt the Indian state, as it happened on 07
October 2023, when Hamas surprised the best intelligence service in the world:
Mossad.
Conclusion
The current state of politics in India is detrimental to the
country's democratic traditions. Not only has it created a big void in the
amicable business of the state in the parliament, it has resulted in the
government's lack of implementation of well-intentioned reforms on the ground.
There is a constant lack of consensus on parliamentary affairs. Daily
disruptions are leading to the suspension of the MPs. The suspension reduces
the strength of the House. It lowers the power and intent of the parliament, which
flourishes in debate and discussions. Lowering or lessening the debates is
detrimental to parliamentary democracy. Daily new lows in the MPs' behaviour
erode the people's confidence in the functioning of democracy. Both the
government and the opposition are responsible. The government is more complicit
in this matter than the opposition. Being the bigger authority, it must show
more accommodation than the opposition. But simple principles of dignity which
apply to ordinary citizens scarcely apply to authorities. Power is the ultimate
aphrodisiac. It doesn't matter at what cost it comes. Amidst this, the common
man continues to repose faith in democracy. God forbid if it is lost, it would
take many ‘Springs’ to gain it
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