A bleak view of democracy from the 145;backbench146;

At a time when unprecedented violent scenes between allies from the ruling coalition in Parliament is still fresh in public mind, it is time for politicians and people to introspect the implications of their behaviour on the future of the Indian polity and sovereignty. Nominated Rajya Sabha MP and former governor of the Reserve Bank of India Bimal Jalan makes this point in his book, India8217;s Politics: A View from the Backbench, released here today.

Three years into his parliamentary innings, Jalan embarked on this book project last year, when the government violated several norms to pass the Budget and the Finance Bill at the height of the Office-of-Profit controversy and then adjourned the House sine die, only to reconvene it a few days later. 8220;It8217;s uncanny,8221; he says, 8220;three of the last four Budgets starting from 2004 have been cleared without adequate discussion or amidst disruptions and frequent adjournments. When I raised this with other MPs last year, everyone from the Treasury Benches to the Opposition assuaged me, 8216;It8217;s not so bad, we did discuss the Budget for four days, after all.8217; This year too, the Budget was cleared amidst pandemonium.8221;

Jalan considers the scenes on the floors of both Houses to be symptomatic of a wider malaise due to fundamental changes since 1989 in India8217;s political system and recent constitutional amendments. 8220;Democracy is a messy business, but today it8217;s really hit rock bottom. Party politics in India are becoming extremely fractious. Anti-defection laws and constitutional amendments like abolishing the domicile rules for Rajya Sabha have strengthened parties in a way not envisaged in the Constitution. Any leader would prefer being a leader of a small party,8221; he says.

Clearly, the former RBI Governor8217;s outlook to politics has changed since he became an MP. 8220;When I was in RBI and watched politicians from the outside, I used to think the less happens the better. Now, I realise my understanding of politics was rather superficial,8221; he admits.

However, his book is not just a tirade about the state of affairs, it also proposes a ten-point programme for political reforms, consistent with the parliamentary system that could make the Indian democracy 8220;more stable, transparent and accountable8221;.