Debate In The House: M Venkaiah Naidu, Supriya Shrinate Write

As the winter session of the Parliament is witnessing huge protests, disruptions, and adjournments, two prominent political figures—BJP leader and former Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu and Congress leader and chairperson of social media and digital platforms Supriya Shrinate—analyse the recent disruptions in the House from varied angles in the Indian Express.

In the article titled “Don’t Disrupt the House of Debate,” Naidu observes recent disruption of the proceedings of the two Houses as a “troubling decline in parliamentary standards.” “Disruption, disturbance and commotion can never be a substitute for debate and discussion,” he adds.

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He states that the disorderly behaviour, constant cacophony of slogans, and overall tone of bitterness and resentment have clouded the proactive debates and meaningful discussions in recent years. When members rush into the well of the House, not just procedural decorum has been violated, but it hinders the democratic governance. Elucidating his term as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and having witnessed the disruptions in the house, he claimed that such “obstructionist behaviour is deeply upsetting,” and adds that it made him wonder at the kind of example the elected representatives are setting.

Naidu claims that all political parties have a responsibility to introspect and initiate remedial measures. Therefore, there is an urgent need  for cooperation across party lines.

“It is my conviction that for parliamentary democracy to function properly, the government should propose, the Opposition should oppose, if necessary, and the House in question should finally dispose. The Opposition, on its part, must offer constructive criticism and refrain from indulging in obstructionist tactics to create a stalemate. Both the government and the Opposition must commit to building consensus on critical issues of national importance,” Naidu writes.

If the political parties fail to develop a culture of accountability, commitment to decorum, and constructive dialogue, Naidu cites downfalls as an increase in public disillusionment with politics, Parliament, state legislatures, and governance and observes that a large section of the electorate stayed away from voting in the general elections is a “worrying sign.” He further adds that a dysfunctional parliament would dent India’s image and prominence on the global stage and would seriously weaken its leadership role in the international community.

Shrinate’s opinion piece, “BJP is silencing debate in the House,” is a direct attack on the ruling party. “India’s parliamentary democracy is being tested—not by the Opposition, but by the ruling party, the BJP,” she alleges. Referring to the parliamentary adjournments, the Congress leader states that in the last 10 days, it has functioned for a total of 64 minutes because of “the ruling party’s ploys to disrupt proceedings.”

Shrinate then lists innovative ways the Opposition has drawn people’s attention and lodged its protest without being a hindrance inside the Parliament so as to discuss crucial issues. She then alleges that what one sees inside the House is a reflection of what the BJP does outside of it: “muzzle voices of protest, mask the fault lines, look the other way when faced with allegations, bulldoze and silence the Opposition.”

With regard to the ongoing serious allegations against the industrialist Gautam Adani, and Adani Group, a discussion on the topic is pertinent in the Parliament. But the government wants to avoid any discussion; “the entire BJP and government are not just defending him with full force but feel obliged to hold Parliament to ransom,” the Congress leader claims. Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lower House and the suspension of 141 Opposition MPs from the House last year, she states that the “Adani issue makes PM Modi and his government nervous.”

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She further said that though our Parliament traces a renowned tradition of lively debates and discussions, the ruling party has “lowered the level of discourse by resorting to mudslinging, lies and unparliamentary language.” This is an intentional act, she claims, to distract from the main issues that the Opposition wants to raise in the Parliament, such as Adani, Sambhal, Manipur, high prices,  and joblessness.

“If it is not allowed to discuss crucial matters, how will solutions be found? Is Parliament only a place for cheerleading and thumping the tables on the arrival of the PM, or is he accountable for what’s happening across the country?,” Shrinate asks before concluding the article.