As the directly elected federal legislature for 1.3 billion people, India’s Parliament is – on paper – the world’s greatest organ of democr...
As the directly elected federal legislature for 1.3 billion people, India’s Parliament is – on paper – the world’s greatest organ of democracy. But the manner in which the forum has actually been functioning is, to put it mildly, disappointing. This gap between promise and practice was on stark display during the just concluded Monsoon session.
Much of the session was characterised by physical chaos. The Opposition started the session demanding a debate on allegations that the Union government had spied on Indians using the Israeli cyber weapon Pegasus. With the government unrelenting, the Opposition decided to do its best to disrupt both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. On August 4, six Trinamool MPs were even suspended from the Rajya Sabha for allegedly not obeying the chair.
Fight club
This bedlam peaked in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday as Opposition MPs physically clashed with security personnel. “FASCISM,” tweeted out the Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien, accusing “Modi-Shah’s brutal government” of using male marshals against women MPs.
A joint statement by a group of Opposition MPs accused the government of bringing in “outsiders not part of Parliament security” in order to “manhandle Opposition leaders and members, including women parliamentarians”.
The government on the other hand blamed the Opposition for creating a “ruckus”.
These constant...
