Congress MLAs are perfectly right in demanding that the budget session of the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha be held for the necessary number of days required to deal with legislative business. There is not just the motion on the Governor’s address to be discussed, but there will also be the budget that has to be debated in all its aspects. There has been a general tendency nationwide to increasingly shorten assembly sessions and treat them as mere formalities. This is certainly not healthy for democracy.
The focus of governments is obviously on the executive branch, where ministers run departments, with MLAs also exercising clout with discretionary funding. On the other hand, it is only the opposition that wants time on the floor of the House to raise “people’s issues”. Unfortunately, when it is their turn in power, these concerns are quickly forgotten.
It must also be remembered that even the time presently available is not used productively by the opposition. It seems to think that dramatic posturing and ruckus better attract people’s attention than reasoned arguments. They ought to place greater trust in the public’s understanding of politics and development. What this process leads to is a slow but steady shift away from the grassroots level issues, and an inevitable decline in public support when election time comes.
Anybody who has ever witnessed debates in the Uttarakhand Assembly will testify to the fact that there are a substantial number of members who are excellent speakers. They trigger fruitful discussions that not only enlighten everybody on the specific subject but also really do influence government policy. In this context, the government too must favour longer sessions as it ensures crucial matters are dealt with in the House and never have to become popular movements on the streets. And it is not just the UCC, land laws, law and order situation, etc., that draw attention, they can also be one-off events that, if neglected, can become major issues. It must not be forgotten that under India’s constitution, power resides in the legislative branch and is only exercised by the executive.
