The Congress is complaining that parts of the speeches made by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Parliament have been expunged for making unverified claims (alleging irregularities in Prime Minister Modi’s relations with industrialist Gautam Adani). It should know better. The rules of Parliament have been made to ensure that members do not take advantage of their immunity from legal repercussions for their utterances in the House to sully reputations or otherwise attack those who cannot defend themselves.
So desperate are political parties to score points against the government that they fall for every trap laid for them, not just in the electoral battle, but even in the public discourse. The insistence that the Adani issue be discussed during the Motion of Thanks for the President’s Address ensured that the Treasury Benches were in no way obliged to respond. Why the desperation to overrule procedure, when a specific discussion could have been held on the issue, even if later? Or, were those demanding it aware that they had no leg to stand on and their only intent was to calumniate, and not to shed actual light on the matter? With their words being expunged in the two houses, the message has been sent that such tactics are not acceptable.
There is no doubt that a sense of entitlement exists among certain politicians about their right to treat Parliament as they wish, believing even the basic respect is not due to the institution because of their exalted status. It is about time that such ‘privileged’ members are reminded of the enormous power vested in Parliament by the Constitution and the people. Neither its membership nor the status it provides can be taken for granted. A person may belong to a powerful family, or be ‘well-versed’ in English; it does not grant them the power to seek special treatment. No matter which party they belong to, they need to understand their place.
It is no surprise that this mindset makes them believe that those who have come up the hard way are inferiors, even if it is the Prime Minister. It may be noted that, thus far in the ongoing session, the presiding officers of both houses have been quite proactive in checking such transgressions. Debates and discussions will acquire greater sophistication if the rules are enforced strictly, thereby greatly benefiting India’s democracy and setting an example for the state assemblies.
