Wasting Parliament time hurts democracy

A full week of the winter session is lost

The winter session of parliament enters its second week, after almost the entire first week was wiped away, with presiding officers adjourning both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha every day. Only some essential matters, such as the swearing-in of new members, took place. The Houses were adjourned after the Opposition made noisy and even raucous demands for discussions on the US indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani, the situation in Manipur, and the police firing in Sambhal in UP following the survey of a mosque. These are important matters that need to be discussed in parliament, but the government was not ready to take them up. The presiding officers did not give permission for the adjournment motions on these topics, and adjourned the Houses, declaring that the proceedings could not be conducted when there was noise and commotion in the House. 

These topics are important and parliament needs to discuss them. US prosecutors have alleged that Adani and his associates paid over 250 million dollars in bribes to Indian government officials and lied to investors and banks. The Adani Group is among the country’s top business houses with a presence in many important sectors. The conduct of the group is of great public and national interest, especially because the bribes are alleged to have been paid in India. The conduct of regulatory bodies like SEBI and its chairperson has also raised questions. There is need for a discussion in parliament and a credible investigation into the matter. The situation in Manipur has deteriorated, with fresh violence and killings. The incidents at Sambhal are important because they involve secularism, the conduct of the police, the administration, and the status of the Religious Places Act, 1991.

The government should have no reason to avoid discussions on them. But unfortunately, parliament has ceased to be a forum for debates and discussions, and the government and the Opposition act like enemies trying to do each other in. The government has the responsibility to ensure that parliament functions well, and it should welcome debates instead of avoiding them. The Opposition has the right and the responsibility to hold the government to account, and to raise issues on which the government should make its position clear. The issues sought to be raised by the Opposition are matters on which the government’s position needs to be made known to the people. If parliament time is wasted every day and it is unable to effectively do its legislative and deliberative work, people become cynical about its working. The deterioration has been steady, and is real and visible. It can only hurt democracy.