At the all-party meet before the Winter Session of Parliament, which is to begin on Monday, the opposition parties were united in demanding that discussions be held on ‘crucial’ subjects like unemployment, the Delhi blast, the revision of voter lists, inflation, Centre-State relations, etc. They also objected to the reduction in the number of days the session will take place.
It is indeed important that the above-mentioned subjects be discussed, as there will not just be clarity on a number of issues, but the thinking of all the parties, including the government, will become clear. The question to be asked, however, is – how many sessions have there been in the past few years when this has actually happened? And while the onus is on the ruling party to run the respective Houses, how much of the disruption in proceedings can be blamed on the opposition? It has been seen that, particularly since Rahul Gandhi has taken over as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the attempt has been to take everything in the direction of his party’s agenda. This has meant serious commotion, walkouts, repeated suspension of proceedings, and an almost complete failure to bring forward the less spectacular but just as important problems of individual constituencies. MPs have been unable to secure in-depth discussions that would bring to the forefront the everyday issues confronting their constituents.
So, just as guarantees are being sought from the government on proper conduct of Parliament, can the people expect the necessary cooperation will be extended by the opposition in this regard? The chances are high that there will be serious ruckus and flagrant violation of the rules on the SIR issue, with the claim that the recent Bihar election, and those before it, were ‘stolen’ by the BJP in connivance with the Election Commission. The opposition may deny it at the present, but would it agree on suggested strict disciplinary action against members who disrupt the proceedings of the House? That is very unlikely.
It would be understandable if such tactics were paying off on the ground but recent performances by parties have failed to impress. Quite obviously the ideological approach that is being taken by the parties, either together or separately, is not making an impression on the people. The issues raked up in the Bihar elections, for instance, were summarily dismissed by the electorate. The falling out amongst the opposition as a consequence shows there is little genuine belief among them in what they are trying to sell to the people. Continuing down the same path in the coming parliamentary session will not provide any different results.
