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If there is one responsibility that our parliamentary representatives take exceedingly seriously, it8217;s this business of ferreting out f...

If there is one responsibility that our parliamentary representatives take exceedingly seriously, it8217;s this business of ferreting out facts. Indeed, as a story in the Sunday Express pointed out, the desire to investigate all manner of phenomena gets more manifest as the mercury climbs8212;even if it entails the discomfort of travelling to distant and unfamiliar locations, like the Andaman Islands or even Gangtok. This June, Leh, one of the more cooler spots in the country as summer breathes its fire down on the rest of the country, is playing host to no less than seven Parliamentary Committees all intent on investigating things. There is very little that can be gleaned from the stark contours of this region for the Committee on Public Undertakings and, as for the Commission for the Empowerment of Women, what they can get here they could have got sitting in New Delhi. But when did logic every stop our Parliamentarians when it comes to serving the highest interests of the nation?

The only problem in this arrangement is that somebody, somewhere, pays a price to host these sarkar ke mehman, guests of the government. And, invariably, it a public sector unit which can hardly afford to do so but nevertheless has to do it all the time, steadily exhausting its already meagre resources. Because playing host to these VVIPs in the style they have now become accustomed to is no mean project. It entails organising five-star accommodation, arranging cultural programmes, escorting companying relatives on shopping expeditions, and staging sightseeing trips so that these inquiring men and women can legitimately claim that they did do a great deal of investigation.

The question, of course, is whether the country is indeed gaining from these noble exertions. Difficult to say. If the objective is to come up with fresh insights on solving intractable problems in a realistic fashion, then the record is poor. If, however, the nation is looking for a way of keeping its elected representatives gainfully employed and in a happy frame of mind to boot, there is nothing quite like a good tour.