Of late, the nation is now used to seeing the worst conduct of a few Members of Parliament. What people saw in Rajya Sabha the other day, only bows one's head in shame! Such misconduct is not new to the parliamentary proceedings.
In spite of the announcement by the Chair for raising their doubts to discuss and debate on important bills, few members created pandemonium to the hilt. Their conduct was not condonable by any stretch of parliamentary decorum. They were later suspended for the rest of the monsoon session.
It symbolised the best of democratic traditions of working in a spirit of constructive cooperation when leaders of political parties, including PM Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, met in the chamber of the Lok Sabha Speaker after the Parliament session was adjourned sine die, two days ahead of schedule, But the acrimonious scenes that preceded the meeting belied the expectations, with both Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu expressing anguish at the way in which the proceedings were conducted. Leaders of the Opposition parties, in a show of unity, also carried out a protest march a day later to voice their resentment.
The point to be pondered – was it possible to hold even a curtailed session of Parliament in Covid times. It was a positive sign, but the discussions on issues like the Pegasus row and the repeal of farm laws caught into bedlam and followed by unruly scenes, with members even climbing atop the table and throwing files at the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the alleged manhandling of women MPs by male marshals during the passage of the Insurance Amendment Bill remain an unhealthy sign. While the Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman have called for a review of the House rules because of the MPs' conduct, MPs belonging to the Opposition objected to the way in which parliamentary business was conducted. The scene in the Rajya Sabha appeared to be a repeat of last year's Monsoon session when eight MPs were suspended during the passage of the farm Bills.
A curtailed session of Parliament should also be marked by decorum. PM Modi expressed his disappointment over MPs, even from his own party, staying away during the passage of key legislations. Members of Parliament have to realise that it is the people who elect them. They cannot fail their cause by staying away from the discharge of duty, despite the strength in the House of the elected government of the day.
While Parliament is a place to discuss, debate, and decide, creating ruckus and dramatic scenes inside and outside the House is the last thing one would expect from MPs. Differences should be sorted out with dialogue in the best interest of democracy.
The law-makers did not even stick to simple procedural norms of Parliament; most don't even know them.
