Editorial: Betraying people’s trust

Modi calls Parliament ‘temple of democracy’ but has not ensured its exalted status by action

It was a perfect storm on July 20. As the monsoon session of Parliament began, came the stinker from the Supreme Court. Calling the video of two women, who were paraded naked in Manipur “deeply disturbing”, the apex court said the visuals showed “gross constitutional failure” adding, “it is time that the government steps in and takes action. This is unacceptable. If the government does not act, we will.” Soon thereafter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first remarks over Manipur violence that erupted on May 3, said, “The incident that has come to the fore in Manipur is a shameful incident for any civilised society.” But these remarks of the Prime Minister are unlikely to cool tempers. Given the hardening of positions on multiple issues between the government and the opposition, there’s little hope that the monsoon session will yield good results. Burning issues, controversial Bills, and a government on the backfoot make a perfect recipe for turning the monsoon session into a no-show again. Here are some startling facts. The 17th Lok Sabha, which is in the final year of its term, has functioned for a mere 230 sitting days so far. Of all the Lok Sabhas that completed the full five-year term, the 16th Lok Sabha had the lowest sitting days (331). There is a real possibility that the 17th Lok Sabha could end up seeing the lowest number of sittings for a full-term Lok Sabha since 1952. A Deputy Speaker has not been elected even as this Lok Sabha despite the Supreme Court’s notice to the Central government on the matter.

Running Parliament costs the exchequer Rs 2.5 lakh every minute. With both the government and the opposition in election mode, any meaningful debate is unlikely. The government has drawn up a heavy legislative schedule with 31 Bills, including the controversial Bill that seeks to replace the Delhi Ordinance, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, and the National Cooperative University Bill. These Bills as well as other issues that are raised by the opposition merit a serious discussion. The Lok Sabha had passed the union Budget 2023-24 in around nine minutes, without any discussion, permitting the Centre to spend Rs 45 lakh crore for the financial year. Political interest over national interest is a recipe for disaster. In the temple of democracy, every member should do what they have been sent there to do – to represent and work for “we the people of India”. When Prime Minister-designate Modi entered Parliament first, he bowed his forehead touching the stairs to mark his high respect for the “temple of democracy”. The onus is now on him to ensure that this session delivers and does not get washed away with the rain!

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