The country is disappointed with what has been happening in the Parliament for the last few days. Only by running Parliament can the government answer the opposition’s questions properly. In the atmosphere of uproar, MPs do not get a chance to express their views. Even a child can understand how protest can be expressed by going to the well and stopping the proceedings of the House by raising slogans and creating a ruckus. A good thing will be said only when you put your questions clearly and the government can answer clearly. But what is even more worrying is that obstruction of Parliament has become the rule rather than the exception and our politicians have no compunction about it. This decline has occurred very rapidly in the last few years. MPs shout at each other, snatch and tear legislative papers, and come to the middle of the House over small issues. In the past years, most of the bills have been passed without discussion. This is an abuse of the parliamentary system.
Now the opposition parties and some MPs have ruined the Parliament. It is common for both Houses to stall proceedings by creating unproductive uproar over personal agendas. Noise in the Parliament, sloganeering in the well, taking personal digs at each other, and sometimes even getting into a scuffle is a common picture of the Parliament today. After all, why has the behavior of political parties and MPs become so chaotic? Have the vested interests of the parties today made Parliament a joke?
Looking at the attitude of the MPs, it does not seem that they intend to allow development plans for the country. It seems as if the MPs have taken the entire parliamentary democracy hostage. Because the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are shown live on TV nowadays, the common man of the country also sees everything that is happening in the Parliament every day. After all, what image are the MPs presenting before the people? Just imagine what image is being created of you in the minds of the people of the country.
The reason for this decline indeed is that politics today has become a game of numbers due to which regional satraps exert pressure to get their wishes done. They not only believe in bullying politics but also make the yardstick of a successful Parliament session ‘whose stick is his buffalo’. Today, size has become more important than content, due to which scenes like street fights are seen in Parliament. Therefore, in this declining political culture and moral values, the content that influences politics is not found in parliamentary proceedings.
Overall, it seems that Parliament has now become just a scoring club. Many would know that Rs 2.5 lakh is spent on one minute of Parliament proceedings. In this way, an average expenditure of six crore rupees is incurred on one day’s normal proceedings. The more the proceedings continue, the more the expenses increase. Just think where this money comes from. It comes from the pockets of the common people of the country. What could be a bigger joke in a democracy than the Parliament proceedings being stalled continuously or there being uproar intermittently throughout the day, yet Rs. 6 crores are spent in a day? Just imagine what can be done with Rs 6 crore. The fate of thousands of villages can be changed by the expenditure incurred on one day of Parliament proceedings. Lakhs of poor girls can get married. Small and cottage industries can improve the fortunes of thousands of youth. But MPs don’t think about all this. Even if development plans are not made, personal interests must improve. Have MPs become above the country?
One more thing, it is not the case that all the MPs are creating a ruckus. Those who are serious about their work are unable to do anything. The question is why MPs don’t create an atmosphere every time. Do the MPs arrive only to create a ruckus? The MPs have paralyzed the Lok Sabha. The reality is that in a democracy, the people of the country directly elect the Lok Sabha. In such a situation, the indirectly elected House should respect the dignity of the House of the People i.e. Lok Sabha. It should not happen that every work done in the Lok Sabha is hampered.
All MPs should be allowed to speak about their constituencies in the Lok Sabha on fixed days, at least for three minutes each. MPs who repeatedly create ruckus should be identified and their list should be publicised. Such rules should be made that automatically certain action is taken against the MP who comes to the well waves the pamphlet or creates any kind of ruckus. Why do some MPs come back to the House after walking out? They do this only to show off, they have nothing to do with the development of the country.
He is not able to do anything in the Parliament and on the other hand the people of his Lok Sabha constituency are suffering because he is not able to solve their problems. After all, there is only a ruckus in the Parliament. Therefore, stop Parliament from becoming an arena. Explain your point to the leadership also, do not blindly follow their every right or wrong order. The first duty of MPs is to preserve the dignity of the sacred temple of democracy. Perhaps these people do not understand the dangerous dimensions of making Parliament unimportant. Our Parliament is the cornerstone of our nation which represents the people and is expected to exercise sovereign oversight over our national interests. The Government is answerable to the Parliament and the existence of the Government depends on the confidence of the Lok Sabha in it. Therefore, the time has come that all our MPs should pay attention to how parliamentary democracy can be strengthened. Otherwise, the public will start ridiculing him. Our MPs should consider what kind of legacy they are leaving. Will they allow Parliament to collapse under the weight of its decline? We are seeing what is happening today. It is hoped that the MPs of the country and those who run the Parliament will soon realize how much hope the citizens of the country look for them. Also keeps him as an example on many occasions.
Author is Research Scholar. She can be mailed at writerpriyankasaurabh94164@gmail.com
