Among the reasons why the NDA under Atal Behari Vajpayee won in the 1999 polls caused by the withdrawal of support by the AIADMK was the speech the Prime Minister gave in Parliament while dissolving the House of the People to announce fresh elections. Whatever be the faults that some saw in Vajpayee, his genius in using the spoken word as an effective weapon against traducers was undoubted. In the past, when the UPA was in office, all too often there were walkouts by the BJP members, thereby giving a free hand for the SoniaManmohan government to push through legislation of their choice.
Instead of frequent walkouts, if the BJP members had remained more often in the Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha to make their views heard by the public rather than walked out, the shock defeat for the second time of the NDA at the hands of the UPA in 2009 may have been avoided. In a way, what has been witnessed in the final days of the last full session of the Houses of Parliament before the Lok Sabha polls is reminiscent of periods when much of the Opposition was absent when policies were being discussed and legislated upon by the government of the day.
By virtue of her or his role as the tribune of the people, a Member of Parliament is given high respect in society, as is Parliament as an institution. In an era when Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings are being broadcast live for the entire world to watch, the best practices of parliaments across the world need to be followed. The Parliament of the Republic of Bharat, i.e. India needs to serve as a model for the rest of the democracies to emulate rather than avoid. In a parliamentary democracy, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha are the presiding officers of the two chambers respectively, and their standing and respect need to be protected by each Member of Parliament.
On 18 December, it was apparent that entering the Well of the House and either shouting or displaying slogans would be met with suspension. Both the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha (who also serves as the Vice-President of the Republic) have the discretion to do what they deem fit for the orderly conduct of the business of the House they each are presiding over. A decision was reached by each that behaviour such as the shouting of slogans or entering the well of the House would be deemed unparliamentary and met with immediate suspension for the duration of the session.
Given that such a precedent had been set the previous day, it would have been apparent to the Honourable MPs that similar behaviour by any of them on 19 December would attract the same consequences, and it did. MPs who repeated the behaviour of their colleagues the previous day and predictably met the same fate may have done better with electorates if they had honoured the requests of the Chair and avoided actions that resulted in their suspensions.
Demanding that no discussion take place until the Home Minister and the Prime Minister made statements about the disturbing failure of the security staff in Parliament House to prevent a few visitors from setting off smoke in the Lok Sabha chamber was in a way putting the cart before the horse. Certainly the Home Minister and if deemed necessary the Prime Minister should speak on the subject, but this ought to be after and not before a full discussion by other MPs on the subject.
Both the ruling and opposition sides could present their views on the subject, while the Home Minister would subsequently state what has been discovered about the circumstances behind the attack. Finally, the Prime Minister would sum up the situation, as is his right. All that the actions of some have done during the past few days was to give ammunition to foes of Bharat, i.e. India to falsely claim that we are not a democracy. We are indeed a democracy, but not an anarchy, which is why procedures set by the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha need to be respected.
Another session of Parliament is due to pass an interim budget before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The expectation of the public is that their representatives will conduct themselves in a manner that serves as role models for the citizens of the world’s next superpower.