How they divide

The transformative potential of enabling the right to education through an act of Parliament cannot be overstated. And with the Rajya Sabha passing the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill on Monday,it is now likely to be speedily put up for debate and a vote in the Lok Sabha. But the lack of enthusiasm in the Rajya Sabha was troubling it is of an order that needs to be put on record in a more deliberative way by Parliament. After a debate of five and a half hours,there were only 54 MPs in a house of 230 to see it through. It is not just that if the opposition had the idea to make mischief,it could have asserted its numbers by moving an amendment in a bill that overall has the support of all political parties. They had 29 MPs present,to the UPAs 25,including ministers without a vote in the House. The disquiet draws from the clear lack of value for a majority of MPs to register their vote for or against on what is a key legislation.

Rating an MP is a complex exercise. Her constituency work and responsiveness to the issues of the day do not neatly yield to numerical ratings. Therefore,capsules of an MPs term are better had through a basket of indicators,qualitative and quantitative for instance,actions and words during a crisis,attendance in Parliament,the nature and value of projects enabled through the Local Area Development scheme,the questions asked,the interventions made. The profile so had is important; it helps the voter make informed choices. That

profile is being made incrementally fuller,with affidavits on assets and other information gained through RTI. But Mondays vote indicates a coordinate missing in the public

domain to deepen this profile: an MPs voting record.

An MPs voting record,even with the limits placed by whips on conscience votes,is a comment on her priorities. In the absence of a division,when a voice vote is considered reasonable,the actual vote of a particular MP may not be readily determined. But the fact of participation in a debate and of casting a vote is an indication of the importance placed on a legislation. After all,a member of Parliament bears the responsibility of moving,debating and voting legislation. Political parties have rosters to mark a minimum presence in parliamentary sessions. If an MP finds it not worth her while to be present in the House on any occasion,Parliament should find a way of putting that information in the public domain.