Govt must reach out to the Opposition

The indiscriminate suspension of 141 Opposition MPs — 78 on Monday, 49 on Tuesday and 14 last Thursday — has left parliamentary democracy in shock. The Congress has accused the BJP-led government of carrying out a purge to ensure the passage of ‘draconian’ Bills without a meaningful debate in Parliament. The two sides are locked in a bitter war of words over the December 13 security breach. In a newspaper interview published on Sunday, PM Modi admitted that it was a very serious incident. However, the Opposition’s demand that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement in the House regarding the episode has not been taken seriously by the government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi struck a discordant note when he accused the protesting MPs of being frustrated over the Assembly election results in the Hindi heartland. This is clearly a bid to obfuscate the key issue — the security breach — which warrants a detailed discussion in both Houses. Equating vociferous protests by Opposition lawmakers with attempts to disrupt House proceedings is uncalled for. The government owes an explanation to the nation over the lapses that led to the December 13 pandemonium. Maintaining an intransigent position and arbitrarily chucking out MPs from Parliament won’t absolve it of its responsibility.

Only the lawmakers who were guilty of gross misconduct in the House should have been suspended. With the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha being adjourned repeatedly, the winter session is heading for an ignominious end. Unfortunately, the brand-new Parliament complex, which hosted its inaugural session in September, is making news for the wrong reasons. Animus and intolerance are precluding dialogue and debate. The government must reach out to the Opposition to save democratic discourse from becoming a casualty of highhandedness.
(Tribune, India)