Vote for trust

With Lok Sabha finally debating Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs statement on allegations of bribe-giving for the UPA governments July 2008 motion of confidence,the speakers appeared to spar from their partisan corners. On March 18,he had told the House that he rejected charges that the Congress had sought to fix the vote by buying MPs. Subsequent protest by the opposition that they were not satisfied with the prime ministers statement drew Parliament into Wednesdays debate. At the end of the debate,they reiterated their dissatisfaction,and the BJP-led NDA staged a walkout.

All of this has made for engrossing theatre. And with the campaign for five assembly elections well underway,there are obviously expectations of immediate political consequences. Yet,once again the past few days have made clear the kind of political brinkmanship that Parliament is being subject to. On Tuesday,the BJP boycotted the Lok Sabha debate on the Finance Bill,demanding the discussion on the PMs statement be taken up first. As a report in this newspaper detailed,this was not for want of deliberations between the BJP and the Congress to forge cooperation but they came to naught because of a breakdown of trust that the other side would hold itself to its part of the truce. The result was that the main opposition party absented itself from something as vital as the passage of the budget. It,of course,reflects a glaring act of omission by the BJP,and voters could hold it to account for that. But for the government too,the oppositions repeated abandonment of proceedings to press whatever may be its demand of the moment should be a cause for worry the entire winter session for a joint parliamentary committee on telecom,a number of sessions in the middle of the budget session for a structured discussion a WikiLeaks cable. To ensure the legitimacy of the executives

actions,the government requires the opposition to take part in parliamentary processes.

Our edgy and vibrant federal politics will never give the two main political parties a time-out to forge a basic trust in parliamentary processes that each needs,and Parliament requires even more.

But three years away from the scheduled Lok Sabha elections,and in a year when the two are not facing off against each other in a big way in a state election,this may be the best chance theyll get.