‘Govt indifferent to Opposition, so uproar only way to put pressure’

Do you consider the Indira Gandhi era as a watershed in the decline of Parliament?
I should think so. But I have seen many a deadlock in the Congress regime which the presiding officers and the Govt would try to break. Today, there is an indifference towards the Opposition.

Do you hold the present PM responsible?
Take the latest issue of the petrol pumps. If the Government had come forward with a suo motu statement, it would have blunted the edge of the Opposition attack… This was not expected of Vajpayee. Either he is a prisoner or he does not care whether Parliament functions or not.

It was the Opposition that stalled Parliament instead of putting the Government on the mat.
I am not happy with the situation because we lost the opportunity to expose the Government’s misdeeds. But the attempt to pass the blame only on the Opposition is totally unjustified. The Government has become so unresponsive. It is the responsibility of the ruling party to see that Parliament functions, although the Opposition also has a role.

Do you sense an aversion to a debate in the Opposition benches?
This is not so. Both sides have a role to play.

What according to you are the causes for the decline of parliamentary functioning?
Take the controversial issue of POTO. You issue an ordinance without consulting the Opposition. When we opposed POTO, we were accused of supporting the terrorists and being anti-national. Why should we tolerate such attitude?

There are so many times you have evolved a code of conduct for MPs but you go back on it within days. Naturally, people are becoming cynical.
I don’t blame the people. Still, it seems to be the only way to put pressure on the government, rightly or wrongly. But this does not mean that we should not continue efforts to see that Parliament functions. Sometimes, I tell colleagues that it is no longer a matter of pride to be in Parliament. The younger members are losing faith…If people loose faith in the parliamentary system, it is not good for democracy.

You have said that what is going on inside the BJP also finds a reflection in Parliament.
That is true. The pressure on the PM is too much and he has to compromise with his die-hards. A PM functioning under pressure is dangerous for the country.

The BJP has talked about crores of rupees being lost in the last session.
They don’t have the right to lecture us. They did not allow the House to function on the Bofors or on the Sukh Ram issue? These are only two instances. When there was a proposal of the United Front (in 1997) to impose President’s rule in UP, Atalji sat on a dharna. How many days did the House not function then? How much money was wasted then?

But what is the remedy?
We have to go on trying. There has to be a will on both sides. But at present there is no sign of such a will on the part of the Government.