Editorial: Reminiscent of coronation

Ensuring that the spotlight remains on him throughout the function, Modi turned new Parliament''s inauguration into an exercise of self-promotion

The pompous and ritual-filled inauguration of the new Parliament building had all the trappings of a coronation and the conduct of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion was no less than an emperor. It sounds paradoxical that the event was meant to celebrate the spirit of democracy, diversity and inclusiveness — the values that Parliament represents — but the proceedings bore the stamp of royalty and focused entirely on one person. Wearing the religious identity on his sleeves, conducting the rituals all by himself, and ensuring that the spotlight remains on him throughout the function at the expense of all others, Modi turned the inauguration into an exercise of self-promotion. It was all nice for the PM to say that Parliament is a temple of democracy, but the discriminatory practices of the NDA government had ensured that a vast majority of the opposition parties were forced to boycott the inauguration. By keeping President Draupadi Murmu out of the picture, the government has reinforced the absolute primacy of the PM despite the curbs laid down in the Constitution. Article 79 of the Constitution says Parliament shall consist of the President and the two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People. Departing from the American precedent, the Indian Constitution, clearly makes the President a member of the Legislature. As per Article 77, the President remains the formal head of the administration and all executive action of the union must be expressed in the name of the President.

By arrogating to himself the right to inaugurate the new Parliament building, to put his imprint on all aspects of it, Modi claims that he personifies the nation and, in fact, its democracy, too. No doubt he is the Leader of the House but over the past nine years, one wonders how much time he had to listen to those who disagree with him. A majority of the Bills under his regime were passed without any scrutiny, many being arbitrarily marked as money bills to escape defeat in Rajya Sabha. In fact, the PM hardly attends Parliament, and refuses to answer questions. In the life of a nation, there are institutions and moments that rise above the politics of the day. The institution of Parliament is one such. It is the House of debate where the people’s voice is heard through their representatives and the government is called to account. That Parliament has not lived up to its promise is demonstrated by the BJP’s unwillingness to reach out across the aisle and strike a conversation. Today, the House is a shrunken place, and the project of building a new Parliament has also been unable to shake off the narrowness of the political spirit that pervades it.

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