Opinion CPI’s Binoy Viswam writes: BJP’s arrogance was responsible for disruption of Parliament
The Opposition went by the rule book, followed due processes. Disruptions by ruling party will hurt Parliament
Parliamentarians in Rajya Sabha. (PTI Photo) 
The Budget Session of Parliament was adjourned sine-die unpleasantly. In his final statement before adjourning the House, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha said that “paramountcy of debate, dialogue, deliberation and discussion in Parliament has yielded to disruption and disturbance” and “this is to the utter dislike of the people at large. In the public mind, we, as a class, are the subject of disdain and ridicule.” The Honourable Chairman cited data on the number of hours lost due to disruption. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha issued similar remarks. Both expressed disappointment about Parliament’s productivity.
In describing the importance of discussion and debate in a mechanical way, they betray an inclination to see Parliament as a production house where the government behaves as a supervisor to produce Bills as it likes. In such an ecosystem, discussion and debate will be the casualty. The Rajya Sabha Chairman and the treasury benches placed the onus on the Opposition. At a few points, the Honourable Chairman also said that 140-crore Indians were watching us. Yes, clearly so. In the Budget Session, they were watching how the ruling benches held the House to ransom only to protect a single individual and his business empire.
The revelations of Hindenburg’s research were categorical. The title of the report is telling: “Adani Group: How The World’s Third Richest Man Is Pulling The Largest Con In Corporate History.” The report also showed that the profits of the Adani empire were based on business malpractices. The basics of capitalist discipline were thrown to the wind.
India has been witnessing the true face of crony capitalism. The hard-earned money of the people was channelised for the interests of the Adani Group. One is reminded of the words of the Communist Manifesto: “The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honoured and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage labourers.”
The people of the country are aware of how the SBI was arm-twisted into releasing its funds for Adani, who was once blacklisted by the bank. The same is the case with LIC and EPFO. The crime of the Opposition was that we demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate this scam.
In the past too, a vigilant Opposition successfully exposed cases of corruption, including in the share market fraud by Harshad Mehta — a JPC was constituted. It’s well within the ambit of the parliamentary framework for the Opposition to raise this demand. We were only following the rules of procedure in both Houses. But the presiding officers were adamant that they will not hear us out.
In its attempt to crucify the Opposition, the treasury benches seem to have forgotten the words of BJP’s eminent leader, the late Arun Jaitley: “Obstruction of Parliament is in favour of democracy. Therefore, parliamentary obstruction is not undemocratic.” Another prominent leader of the BJP, the late Sushma Swaraj echoed her colleague: “Not allowing Parliament to function is also a form of democracy, like any other form.” The arrogance of the ruling party was the sole reason for the disturbance in the Parliament. It seems as if BJP members were especially tutored to that end.
When the Budget Session resumed on March 13, the BJP’s strategists were ready with an issue to create more ruckus to take away attention from the Adani issue. Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in a private meeting in a foreign country were deliberately misinterpreted. Parliament has never witnessed such scenes when the ruling benches were bent on disrupting proceedings.
The disruptions by the ruling party point will hurt Parliament’s status as the country’s supreme deliberative body. The erosion of parliamentary norms and practices is a cause for concern.
The writer is leader of the CPI Parliamentary Group and Secretary, National Council
Share
