Tenth commandment

Parliament8217;s monsoon session begins today. MPs in both houses will diligently perform their role as voters, choosing the country8217;s vice-president. How diligent will they be in their role as legislators after the next VP is installed? True, this question has become as routine as parliamentary bedlam. But the main Opposition party has provided an optimistic twist this time: the BJP wants to debate rather than disrupt. The party has issued a caveat, of course: treasury benches should create the environment for debate. The Congress will respond by saying the Opposition has been irresponsible. For both parties, here are some numbers that give an indication of the cost of parliamentary irresponsibility.

This Parliament has had nine sessions the budget and monsoon session were combined in 2004. At the beginning of the 10th session, this one, 71 bills are pending. Even more unflattering to our MPs is data on time wasted due to interruptions and adjournments. The budget session of 2004 8212; the first session of this Parliament 8212; saw around 92 hours of work in the Lok Sabha and around 55 hours of disruption. The last session before the current one, the 2007 budget session, saw 127 hours of work and 70 hours of disruption in the Lok Sabha. Even live parliamentary television doesn8217;t seem to have improved MPs8217; concerns about better, more professional conduct. And, of course, proposed penalties about rank bad behaviour or cynical disruptive conduct haven8217;t been implemented.

So the only hope lies in senior leaders of especially the big parties deciding a priori that Parliament is more useful as a forum for argument and not a showcase for childish petulance. It is always right to argue that treasury benches carry the heavier onus of ensuring smooth legislative conduct. But why doesn8217;t the BJP change the equation and stay determined about always choosing debate over disruption in this parliamentary session? It can then test the treasury benches8217; commitment. And there8217;s plenty the BJP says it is agitated about, including the nuclear deal. If the BJP wants to ask whether America has taken away India8217;s right to test, it shouldn8217;t take away its own right to interrogate the government.