As a national spectacle, it was dispiriting. As an enterprise in representative democracy, it was self-defeating. For two whole days Parliament was held hostage to legislators’ budding and blurry aspirations to shape foreign policy. When parliamentarians convened on Monday morning after a three-week-long recess, the list of items screeching for their attention could not have been any longer: Union budget proposals, the Nadimarg massacre, a long promised discussion on disinvestment, besides specific concerns at the state and district levels and legislation awaiting consideration. But the domed precincts of Parliament echoed with just one demand: A discussion on Iraq, a discussion deemed so very urgent that all other business, all other engagements, be suspended. So began one of the strangest days in recorded history on Raisina Hill. All work in the two Houses of Parliament came to a standstill as sundry MPs sought to dictate a unanimous resolution on Iraq. Having agreed to the Hindi text, disagreement broke out once again on how ninda was to be translated into English. Should Parliament ‘‘condemn’’ or ‘‘deplore’’ the America-led military intervention? So began a political standoff on semantics, with editions of Hindi-English dictionaries being ferried to the Speaker’s chamber. What’s happening here? Is this the Central Hall School of Government? Or has the ministry of external affairs sought to downsize and delegate its responsibilities to visibly idle MPs in the vicinity? It could, of course, just be that they have been staying up far too late taking in despatches from embedded journalists in the battle zone and stirring cries for a role for the UN from the Champs Elysees. No wonder they only have Iraq and the “UNO” on their minds — sleeplessness appears to have rendered them disoriented about their role as parliamentarians and amnesiac about India’s depressing experience with the UN Security Council resolutions they are so naively seeking to uphold. The war in Iraq is into its 20th day, the architecture of post-war Iraq is only just beginning to be discerned. For MPs to attempt to usurp the functions of South Block, for them to cast in stone India’s response to a fast changing scenario, betrays complete dissonance with the national interest. Not one of the national leaders in Iraq’s neighbourhood has committed himself unambiguously to a position on the war — not even Yasir Arafat! Our elected representatives would be well advised to focus on issues of governance, and leave matters of state to the government.
