Opinion The power of naming

It appears as though the Union minister for Environment and Forests,Jairam Ramesh,sought the perfect finishing touch to the year when he wrote a letter about conflict of interest and parliamentary ethics to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and the Chairman of the Upper House,Hamid Ansari. 2010 was the year that saw his party president boast of the fact that almost half-a-dozen members of her government have resigned on charges of corruption and the prime minister had to “oblige” the nation with a promise to appear before a parliamentary committee,even as he remains in denial mode over the obligation to set up a joint parliamentary committee probe on the 2G spectrum scam,the biggest fraud ever.In the communication to Kumar and Ansari,Ramesh raised ethical issues related to his own department. He called the actions of certain MPs objectionable,and a blatant violation of the norms,and appealed for the speaker’s intervention.Ramesh’s action brings up many underlying issues that deserve introspection and candour,starting with the fact that he went ahead and categorised members of Parliament as “lobbyists” campaigning for their own projects. He mentioned some who lobby with him despite having nothing to do with certain projects. While most,including the minister,would agree that this not new in our political system,what is of grave concern is the way it is treated as an accepted norm,a simple fact of politics. This is a clear threat to the very spirit of democracy.Having said that,the contents of the letter are,in fact,very disturbing. Ramesh has rightly castigated the members of Parliament who come lobbying for various companies and groups,or for the industires in which they have a stake. However,by framing it in such a way in the letter,Ramesh has cast aspersions on the entire lot of parliamentarians. The blot will remain unless the minister comes out and clarifies the matter by revealing the names of the MPs he is referring to. Every MP has the right to know who these “so called members of Parliament”among them are,the political parties to which they belong,and the projects they have been lobbying for. It is not just a question of ethics,but also a matter of breach of privilege of MPs. It is not just a matter that can remain between the minister and the speaker of the Lok Sabha or the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Rather,it deserves to be made fully transparent,and the people of the country have a right to know the identities of the MPs against whom Ramesh has made these charges. In the interests of Parliamentary dignity,Ramesh must immediately spell out their names and other details.The minister has gone to the extent of claiming that he tried to discourage them — there are members of Parliament who have been been applying pressure on his ministry,directly approaching officials and virtually trying to coerce them. His claim needs to be investigated.While parliamentary practices do entail seeking information from the concerned ministry through various procedures,and also includes references that might relate within or outside their constituencies,which cannot be denied to MPs,it should be noted that the minister enjoys the privilege to accept or decline recommendations and requests. The issue which has now been raised has major ramifications,going beyond the confines of parliamentary practices.The ethics committees in both Houses of Parliament explicitly demand that any member of Parliament,while raising an issue where she or he might have professional or financial interests (by way of services,or being part of the management or ownership,etc.),should declare these interests before participating in any debate or intervention. But this disclosure is best left to the individual parliamentarian. The extent to which it is heeded can be gauged from the fact that Vijay Mallya,who owns an airline,comfortably remains part of the consultative committee of Parliament on civil aviation. There could be a long list of such individuals who may have a direct or tangential business interest. Given the difficulty of establishing a statutory mechanism to do away with such practices,they are best left to the conscience of an individual MP.Of course,it is a grey area — it is difficult to determine whether an MP extends recommendations for the public or constituency’s sake or for commercial interests. The fact that such individuals exist in our midst should not deprive genuine lawmakers the right to seek an appointment with the minister. So greater clarity on the minister’s part would help the situation and set do’s and don’ts for political transactions in the future. Ramesh has certainly not helped the already damaged reputation of our MPs. The atmosphere of sleaze and open accusations flung at all levels,in the government and outside,begs a big debate.

The writer is a BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha and national spokesperson of the party