By Inder Jit
(Released on 18 September 1990)
Parliament’s recently-concluded monsoon session has not received the critical attention it deserves. The functioning of the Lok Sabha touched a new low and its dignity was assaulted as never before. A day before it adjourned on Friday, the House witnessed something unbelievable. The Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, got up towards the end of the day to move the Delhi Statehood Bill. He had barely stated that the Bill to amend the Constitution be taken into consideration when Dr P.J. Kurien rushed towards him from across the well of the House, snatched the Bill from the Minister’s hand, tore it up and threw its pieces on the floor of the House amidst pandemonium. An explosive situation developed as angry BJP members, keen on having the Bill passed moved menacingly towards Dr Kurien and other Congress-I MPs gathered in the well. Fortunately, some sane members promptly intervened and prevented violence.
All this was duly mentioned by the Press. Surprisingly, however, what it failed to report was the equally shameful and distressing silence over the matter when the House reassembled on Friday. No apology was demanded by the Mufti or the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs nor was one tendered by Dr Kurien. True, a somewhat similar incident had come to pass some years ago involving a junior Minister and a reckless publicity-hungry member of the Opposition. But the House took prompt notice of the shocking incident and extracted due amends from the erring member. This time the crime was more serious. It involved not only the country’s Home Minister but the Chief Whip of the Congress-I in the Lok Sabha and its shadow Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. At least one member, Mr M.L. Khurana of the BJP, agitatedly cried to raise the matter in the House. The Speaker, Mr Rabi Ray, was then in the Chair. However, no one cared.
Clearly, Dr. Kurien should have come forward honourably and made amends. In case he was reluctant, the Mufti himself or the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr P. Upendra, should have demanded an apology. But the two sides behaved as though nothing had happened. The reason? They had struck a deal and had entered into an unholy conspiracy to slur over the matter. (The ruling party, I was told, had agreed not that the Congress-I would not press en bloc for fresh consideration of the Prasar Bharati Bill. In the Congress-I view, the measure was adopted in violation of the rules as the amendments proposed by two members Prof Soz and Dr Durai had not been taken up.) In the bargain, the dignity of the House was gravely undermined. Sadly, the Speaker, too, acquiesced in the matter, ignoring his basic responsibility of upholding the dignity of the House.
Indignities were also heaped on the Deputy Speaker, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, on Thursday evening, notwithstanding the all round admiration he has earned already for his fair and tactful handling of the House. Initially, he was shouted at by several Congress-I members when he refused to postpone at their bidding consideration of the Prasar Bharati Bill, as amended by the Rajya Sabha, and the Delhi Statehood Bill and told them firmly: “You can’t always dictate.” Later he was repeatedly booed by these Congress-I members from the well of the House as he insisted on proceeding with the legislative business in accordance with his earlier ruling. At one stage, these Congress-I members, shouting “resign, resign”, even threateningly moved up the stairs of the podium towards him. Fortunately, Mr Vasant Sathe intervened and, putting a protective arm around Mr Patil, escorted him to the safety of the Speaker’s chamber immediately behind.
Expectedly, Mr Patil, a gentleman among politicians, did not show up in the House in the morning, presumably awaiting amends. But there were none. Consequently, he stayed away throughout the last day and was pointedly conspicuous by his absence when the Speaker came to the House a little before 6 p.m. to deliver his valedictory remarks and adjourn the House sine die. Many eyebrows went up as the Speaker thanked the hon’ble member’s for the “kind cooperation” extended to him and the Deputy Speaker in conducting the House, and added: “The spirit of accommodation and understanding of each other’s point of view which the various parties displayed and which enabled the House to pass a momentous measure like the Prasar Bharati Bill is something which we shall always cherish. This is the very essence of democracy and we can all be proud of it.” Never before did the words from the Speaker sound as hollow— and hypocritical.
A day before it adjourned on Friday, the House witnessed something unbelievable. The Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, got up towards the end of the day to move the Delhi Statehood Bill. He had barely stated that the Bill to amend the Constitution be taken into consideration when Dr P.J. Kurien rushed towards him from across the well of the House, snatched the Bill from the Minister’s hand, tore it up and threw its pieces on the floor of the House amidst pandemonium.
Not just that. The Lok Sabha and its dignity was also undermined on one other score earlier in the week. The Supplementary Demands for Grants in respect of the General and Railway Budgets for 1990-91 were adopted without any discussion. Some of us were keen to speak and raise issues. But we were firmly over-ruled and told: “No discussion please.” One soon discovered that this was on account of a “conspiracy” between the ruling National Front, the BJP and the Left Front on the one hand and the Congress-I on the other. Both sides had agreed to skip discussion on the Finance Bills in deference to the wishes of the BJP and use the time so saved for taking up and voting the Delhi Statehood Bill. Not one among the four parties cared that their deal had prevented many members and the House itself from carrying out their basic duty of granting additional monetary demands only after full discussion and satisfaction.
Much else happened or did not happen. Some of the important debates remained inconclusive. Topping this list were the discussions on the Mandal Commission report and another on atrocities on women, an issue repeatedly raised by the CPI’s crusading member, Mrs Geeta Mukherjee. Many members from the south demanded time and again during the session a discussion on the Sri Lanka developments and the rising flood of refugees coming into India or at least a Government statement. But there was neither. Some of us wanted the Minister of External Affairs to take note of the disquieting Press reports in his listed statement on the latest Gulf situation. But there was not even the promised statement. Mr Gujral, we were told, was busy giving clarifications on his Gulf statement in the Rajya Sabha. However, this overlooked one basic fact. The Council of States is no substitute for the House of the People.
Lok Sabha’s monsoon session has made one thing explicit. The House will not be able to function and discharge its responsibility to the nation so long as the rules and procedures are short-circuited and undermined. The House has already suffered greatly in terms of its reputation and image because of repeated uproars and bedlam and repeated adjournments. But its image will suffer even more if its dignity is compromised for whatever reason.
Reckless ad hocism continued to play havoc with the Lok Sabha’s functioning and its duty to the nation. Regrettably, old and tried procedures were again set aside and new and slip-shod ideas tried. The Prasar Bharati Bill is a case in point. The Government held ad hoc discussions with the Congress-I and its two supporting parties, the BJP and the Left Front, and evolved “a consensus” instead of adopting the time-honoured procedure of referring the Bill to a select committee representing all sections of the House. The result?
The measure, though adopted unanimously by the House, was soon back from the Rajya Sabha with two amendments. Even now the Bill leaves a great deal to be desired. It should have been referred to a Select Committee, which enables the House to examine a legislation closely and maturely. In addition, this procedure enables the House to devote more of its limited time to important national issues.
Much damage has been caused already. Parliamentary democracy is essentially a civilsed form of Government. It cannot survive the laws of the jungle
All in all, the Lok Sabha’s monsoon session has made one thing explicit. The House will not be able to function and discharge its responsibility to the nation so long as the rules and procedures are short-circuited and undermined. The House has already suffered greatly in terms of its reputation and image because of repeated uproars and bedlam and repeated adjournments. But its image will suffer even more if its dignity is compromised for whatever reason. As in the case of the Kurien affair. The Speaker and the leaders of the political parties, therefore, need to take a fresh look at the procedures and forge a consensus and a code for the smooth functioning of the two Houses. Parliament can delay this overdue exercise only at its peril. Much damage has been caused already. Parliamentary democracy is essentially a civilsed form of Government. It cannot survive the laws of the jungle. — INFA