Trust in debate

The Rajya Sabha has been the epicentre of political decision-making and debate for so long, especially given the top-heavy nature of the governing coalition, that the special session called for today and tomorrow comes as a pleasant reminder that the Lok Sabha is, after all, where governments are made and broken, and the body to which every Union cabinet is, in the end, collectively responsible. And while the nation8217;s eyes have unsurprisingly been fixed on the extraordinary permutations and combinations being thrown up by the shifting allegiances of smaller political players, it is also a relief to remember that when the fates of governments are decided on the floor of the Lok Sabha, actual issues tend to be featured instead of speculative price tags.

There is likely to be a certain amount of discussion of the nuclear deal. Partisan positions have already been staked out on this front, and all that remains is to see how various parties intend to sell the deal, or opposition to it, to those more worried about other issues; and, of course, how various inconsistencies in their stands are papered over. However, speakers should at least try to deal with the actual dimensions of the paradigmatic shift in foreign policy implied by the end of India8217;s nuclear isolation. After all, it is no longer the case that these questions concern a few observers in Lutyens8217; leafy boulevards alone: India8217;s foreign policy orientation now actually matters in other capitals.

And, naturally, debate might range beyond that. The United Progressive Alliance8217;s contingent in the Lok Sabha, and its list of expected speakers, includes the finance and commerce ministers; the government8217;s performance over its tenure so far, as well as what it intends to do if permitted a majority while being emancipated of the Left8217;s control, is likely to be defended and dissected. Cheap political points will be scored certainly; but as people across the country change the channels on their television sets to watch their elected representatives actually deliberate for a change, there is every hope that the members of India8217;s lower house will demonstrate that parliamentary democracy is about more than backroom deals.