New Delhi, 14 May 2002

 India’s  Declining Parliament

NEW SPEAKER, NEW CHAPTER?

By Poonam I. Kaushish

Yesterday’s Masterji of Mumbai’s “Kohinoor Tutorials” is today’s Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Thus disclosed Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in lighter vein as he offered his bouquets to Manohar Joshi after the latter had been unanimously elected as the Speaker and escorted to his high seat. He said: “I have been told that at every bus stand in Mumbai there is a signboard of Kohinoor Tutorials. I wonder whether these institutions have opened according to the bus stops or whether the bus stops have opened according to the institutions!” 

The Lok Sabha is surely no bus stop.  But Mumbai’s Kohinoor has become synonymous today with the Kohinoor of India’s democracy: Parliament.  From the seat of tutorials to the throne of Vikramaditya, as Vajpayee put it,  is indeed a long way. However,  one hopes that this will inspire the tutorialist in Manohar Joshi to open a new chapter in Parliament well and truly. Specially in its golden jubilee year when Parliament has reached its nadir and its reputation is in shreds. Thus making the Speaker’s role more critical and challenging than ever before.

From all accounts, Joshi, a first timer in the Lok Sabha is a gentleman who brings with him an impressive record of 32 years of public service -- first as the creator of a chain of tutorial schools in Maharashtra, thereafter as a Municipal Corporator, Mayor, MLA, Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and, finally, as Union Cabinet Minister of Heavy Industries until his election as the Speaker.  No doubt, handling difficult students became his second nature.  But  the honourables MPs are an entirely different kettle of fish.

More so as the challenges that confront the nation have increased manifold. The country is today in the throes of increasing social and economic tensions. In addition, there are  forces within and without eager to destabilise  India and disrupt its unity and integrity. This calls for reasoned debate. Instead even small Opposition groups have prevented discussion by holding the House to ransom repeatedly. Not a few members have made it a habit of rushing into the well of the House. Where politically motivated bashing has become the order of the day and agenda a luxury to be taken up only when the lung power is exhausted. All spew sheer contempt on Parliament and its relevance and dignity.

We take great pride in calling ourselves the world’s largest democracy. Yet most of us forget that parliamentary democracy provides for a civilized form of government based on discussion, debate and consensus. Ruthless politics has taken over and discussions and debates have largely lost their meaning. Numbers alone matter and have become the sole criteria of success. Shockingly, for the first time in India’s Parliamentary history, the Lok Sabha  had to be adjourned last month for lack of quorum when the Finance Bill was due  to be passed.

In this milieu, the Speaker’s role has become all the more important and demanding.   Few in India, however, appreciate even today the key role of the Speaker without whom,  according to Erskine May, “the House has no Constitutional existence.” Jawaharlal Nehru repeatedly emphasised the importance of the office of the Speaker and laid emphasis on its prestige and authority. Said he in 1958: “The Speaker represents the House. He represents the dignity of the House, the freedom and liberty. Therefore, it is right that his should be an honoured position, a free position and should be occupied always by men of outstanding ability and impartiality.”

Nehru as the leader of the House encouraged by his own conduct the Chair to be independent and impartial. Elders recall how Nehru once clashed with Speaker Mavalankar on the floor of the Lok Sabha when the latter disallowed him from making a second statement in one day in contravention of the rules. Nehru agitatedly argued: “But Mr Speaker Sir…..” However, he soon resumed his seat as the Speaker asserted: “Order, order. The Prime Minister will take his seat!” Incredible as it may seem in today’s India, Mavalankar once allowed an adjournment motion against Sardar Patel to discuss the escape of Mir Laik Ali, Prime Minister of Nizam’s Hyderabad from India.

Fortunately, Balasaheb Thackeray as Speaker Joshi’s mentor and as the leader of the Shiv Sena has acted wisely and urged the latter to function impartially and independently. This should enable and encourage the Speaker not only to abstain from active politics and inspire confidence in all sections of the House, as advocated by Mavalankar. It should also enable him to restore to Parliament its gravely lost relevance, vigour, vitality and dignity – and act in India’s best interest.

Above all, Speaker Joshi has to put Parliament back on the rails? True there is no magic remedy. The process has to be slow and long. Nevertheless, a meaningful beginning could be made if the new Speaker puts an end to brazen rowdyism. The Chair needs to ensure that the  House is not held to ransom through a ‘gang up’ of MPs determined to disrupt its smooth functioning. Any member crossing the Lakshman Rekha and rushing into the well of the House should automatically stand suspended for a week.  In fact, this measure was part of a code of conduct unanimously adopted during the tenure of late Speaker Balayogi. But it was never enforced.

More. To conduct the business of the House smoothly, there has to be stern discipline.  Debates have to be made more meaningful and focused through a strict time schedule. Today, time management has become a joke. Most Speakers have been much to indulgent, allowing senior party leaders to speak at will, way beyond their allotted time. Not a few leaders speak as though they are speaking in a public meeting or a political rally. Consequently, crucial legislative business meriting in-depth debate gets rushed through with only a cursory glance. There is no such thing as first, second and third readings of bills as during Parliament’s golden era under Nehru. 

Not only that. The demands for grants of various Ministries and Departments, running into lakhs of crores of rupees are voted without any discussion because time gets wasted on non-issues. No doubt the Speaker has to walk a tight rope. He has to ensure among other things that the Opposition has its say even as the Government has its way. However, he could easily take a leaf out of the book of the West to save time, wherein the microphone is switched off as soon as a  member finishes his allotted time. Winston Churchill once told his party MPs that ordinary members should endeavour to make only  one point in their speeches. It is the privilege of  Prime Ministers alone to make two points!    

Two other aspects need urgent attention of Speaker Joshi. First, he must firmly end the mindless and stupid practice of dispensing with the Question Hour to take up urgent political issues. The Question Hour is the private members’ hour. It is the hypen that links the Government to the Legislature and enables the members to put the Government in the dock and to hold it accountable. To dispense with the Questions is to oblige the Government and enable it to go scott free!

Second, the Committee System. It was introduced after much debate to enable Parliament to exercise more effective control over the Government through in-depth consideration of the demands for grants of various Ministries. Sadly, our netagan have so far made a mockery of the exercise. Today there are hardly any serious takers for the reports of the 17 Standing Committees. Worse, the MPs treat the “recess period” during the budget session as a holiday.

Additionally, the leader of the House, the leader of the Opposition and other group leaders need to extend to the Speaker their full cooperation in enforcing discipline. Each leader must actively take care of his flock. They must desist from surreptitiously asking their members to create pandemonium to their prevent their opponents from speaking.  Tumult and shouting is no substitute for reasoned discussion and debate.

Happily, Speaker Joshi has made it clear that he will firmly deal with indiscipline. In his first interaction with the media after assuming office, he noted in reply to a question how the Congress benches had prevented Defence Minister George Fernandes from speaking in the House time and again. Appropriately, he asserted that no member should ever be  prevented from having his say.   

In the final analysis, we can do no better than recall Churchill’s famous words spelling out his concept of democracy. Said he: “Democracy, I say, is not based on violence or terrorism, but on reason, on fair play, on freedom, on respecting the rights of other people.” Interestingly, Indira Gandhi echoed similar sentiments following the Emergency  when she said: “Parliament is a bulwark of democracy… It has also a very heavy task of keeping an image that will gain it the faith and respect of the people. Because, if that is lost, then I don’t know what could happen later.”

That faith and respect requires to be restored and built by the new Speaker through a new chapter. –INFA

(Copyright, India News &  Feature Alliance)