Towards renewal

The record of absences was recounted at sessions end in the two Houses of Parliament. Lok Sabha lost 51 hours and six minutes to disruptions that resulted in adjournments,said Speaker Meira Kumar; Rajya Sabha lost 53 hours,said Chairperson Hamid Ansari. Against a washed-out winter session and a rather cynically truncated budget session,however,this monsoon session was not just a sum of abdications. In different ways,Parliament asserted its legislative strength. Rajya Sabha voted to impeach a high court judge,stressing Parliaments place in the delicate balance of power and checks that underwrites our democracy. The two Houses restored to the executive vital equilibrium by owning and nuancing the debate on the Lokpal bill. More controversially and less appealingly,some MPs filed privilege notices against certain individuals for statements they saw as harbouring contempt for Parliament.

This session overlapped with stirrings on the urban street challenging parliamentarians credibility,and indeed Parliaments legitimacy. The undemocratic content of that challenge is obvious. Yet legislatures cannot be static and isolated,theirs is the responsibility for perpetual renewal in response to new situations. They are,in essence,where the nation hears its conversation with itself. In this,the two Houses have been all too reluctant to fully play their role even for inquiring into ways by which debate can be returned to Parliament. Many MPs,and Vice President Ansari,have spoken of the need to remove the unforeseen inhibitions on free-flowing debate imposed by the anti-defection law,by restricting the law to certain types of votes money bills,trust motions,etc. Other suggestions include prime ministers questions,drawing from the practice in the British House of Commons. In essence,the fact is that conversation far too often flees Parliament,and structured debates,during which political parties inevitably rise to the occasion,are not enough. Making political points through obstructions and adjournments does not just hamper law-making,it also disengages Parliament from the issues of the day,as happened during the Lokpal stir.

With the impeachment proceedings later abandoned due to the judges decision to resign MPs lingered,rightly,over the legislatures unique responsibilities with regard to the judiciary. Its a thought the two Houses should debate in more ways,given that the interface with the executive is a more complicated one in a parliamentary system. Yet,even as it pulled its strength as an institution this session,Parliament needs to deliberate on how to better respond to aspirations and also get its primary job law-making done more efficiently.