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| Monsoon Mayhem in Parliament! | | | Omkar Dattatray
Come monsoon,the parliament members especially of all the opposition parties flex their muscles and show their lung power inside the parliament.Parliament is rightly called the temple of democracy and parliament is the supreme legislative body of the country as various bill are passed in both the houses of the parliament.Parliament is the highest constitutional body/institution and debate,discussion and deliberations form part and parcel of this institution.Dissent and difference of opinion the soul of democracy and the august parliamentarians should observe due restraint and show discipline while taking part in the parliamentary proceedings.But alas! our parliamentarians without exception resort to disruptions,mayhem and think it as their right to disrupt parliamentary proceedings and they obstruct the functioning of the parliament.Debate,not disruption should form the conduct of the members of the parliament.It has been the past experience that usually monsoon session of the parliament witnesses noise,protests,coming to the well of the houses and creating noisy and ugly scenes which does not behove well to our ,members of the parliament.It has been seen that often every year in monsoon session of the parltament,the business of the houses of the parliament is washed away without transacting any fruitful business.It causes great financial loss to the central exchequer as enough man days of both the houses of the parliament are lost and it is a serious issue in our parliamentary democracy.There is no meaning of democracy , without criticism as the constructive and fruitful criticism of the policies and programmes of the government is the prerogative and privilege in a democracy.But day in and day out blind criticism is being resorted by parliament members which defeats the vey purpose of conducting the parliament.More often than not our parliament unfortunately resembles a fish market and it has been reduced to a gossip shop which is very unfortunate and disturbing.Parltament and governance is obstructed and it is a sorry state of affairs.In monsoon session,parliament functioning is generally disrupted and it has been seen that the opposition members are indulging in creating noisy and ugly scenes and wrongly the members consider it their responsibility to disrupt and obstruct the proceedings of the parliament and it shows how low our parliamentarians are stooping.The august members of the parliament should conduct themselves in a dignified manner and demonstrate and exhibit discipline and decorum as the proceedings of the parliament are telecast and whole country and the world watches the proceedings of the parliament.By resorting to monsoon mayhem the members of the parliament lower the prestige,diginity and stature of the highest law making body of the country and it is a matter of serious and grave concern.The days of disciplined and august as well as seasoned parliamentarians like Gulzarilal Nanda ,Jigiven Ram,Morar Ji Desai,Vajpayee and such other members are no more seen in today’s parliamentary history.The present day members of the parliament should make self -introspection and soul searching and make concerted efforts to maintain the decorum and dignity of the parliament and not make the parliament proceedings a child’s play.
Monsoon mayhem in parliament refers to a situation where the Monsoon Session of the parliament of India is marked by repeated ,heated exchanges,adjournments ,protests,and political confrontation,preventing smooth legislative business.The phrase is commonly used by the media and political commentators when the monsoon session becomes more about political conflict than lawmaking.The monsoon session is one of the three regular sessions of the parliament of India.It is usually held between July and August .During this session,the government introduces bills,discusses important national issues,presents reports and answers questions raised by members of parliament [MPs].
The word mayhem means disorder,chaos,or confusion.In parliament it occurs when—
a---Opposition parties demand discussions on controversial issues before normal business proceeds.
b---MP’s stage protests in the Well of the House ,display placards,or raise slogans.
c----Heated arguments break out between the treasury benches and the opposition.
d----The Speaker or Chairman repeatedly adjourns the House because order cannot be maintained.
e----Important legislative work is delayed or stalled.
Several issues can trigger parliamentary turmoil ,such as---a—National security concerns.b---Allegations of corruption,c---Price rise &inflation.d---Unemployment .d---Foreign policy controversies .e---Law and order incidents.f—Demands for resignation of ministers.g-Regional issues raised by political parties.
Impact on governance----Frequent disruptions have several consequences---a---Legislative delays---Important bills may remain pending.b---Reduced Assountability---Question Hour ,through which ministers answer MPs questions may be disrupted. c---Financial cost---Parliament functions using public funds ,and repeated adjournments reduce productivity.d---Public disappointment –Citizens expect parliament to debate issues constructively rather than remain deadlocked.e----Policy uncertainty---Delays in passing legislation can slow governance and reforms.
In a parliamentary democracy,the opposition has an important role in questioning the government and demanding accountability.Peaceful protests,debsates,and criticism are legitimate democratic tools.However,many constitutional experts argue that prolonged disruptions preventing parliament from functioning reduce opportunities for debate and scrutiny ,which are also central to democracy.
The factors which can improve situation ---
a----Greater dialogue between the government and opposition before the commencement of a session.
b---More time allotted for discussing contentious issues.
c----Strict enforcement of parliamentary rules by the presiding officers.
d----Greater willingness from all parties to balance protest with legislative work.
e---Building consensus through all-party meetings.
Monsoon Mayhem in Parliament symbolizes the tension between political contestation and legislative responsibility.While vigorous debate and dissent are essential features of democracy,parliament functions best when elected representatives combine accountability with constructive discussion.A productive Monsoon Session enables the government to pursue its legislative agenda while giving the opposition sufficient opportunity to question policies,ensuring that democratic institutions remain both effective and accountable.
It is very disturbing and unfortunate that Monsoon session of parliament continues to be disrupted,adjourned and deadlocked because of the behaviour of PMs particularly of the opposition parties.Parliament which is very sacred and considered the temple of democracy should be the highest forum of parliamentary debate,discussion and deliberations and the invaluable time of the parliament should be used for transacting legislative business and for productive use and it should not be frittered away in nonserious gossip and unruly behaviour by the parliamentarians.Rather it should be ensured that the parliament especially the monsoon session should be used for transacting productive legislative business and for answering the questions of the parliament members by the ministers as the government is answerable to the people through their elected representatives.It should be seen that the proceedings of the monsoon session of the parliament should not be spoiled by irresponsible members instead it should be used for productive debate and discussion in the larger interests of the people of the country who are the real and ultimate sovereigns in our democracy.
The author is a columnist, social, KP activist & Freelancer |
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