Parliamentary Disruptions

In News

• Recently, Rajya Sabha suspended 19 Opposition members for ‘willfully obstructing the House’.

More about the issue

• Disruptions & Political rivalries:
  • Disruption has become the norm, with the Opposition seeking to use the debates as a ploy to gain publicity.
  • Representatives of political parties are utilising Parliament more to showcase political spectacle than to use it as a forum for serious legislative functioning.
• Party supporting wrongdoing of members: 
  • Party members have the support of their parties in breaking the rules, the threat of suspension from the House does not deter them.
• Other issues:
  • Resort to money Bill route: 
    • Several key pieces of legislation have been passed as Money Bills, despite the fact that they did not fit this category.
  • Less scrutiny of Bills: 
    • Most of the bills were passed without any scrutiny, as they were passed in the same session in which they were introduced.
  • Frequent Adjournment of Parliament sessions: 
    • In recent times, Parliament sessions are adjourned frequently. This hampers the work of Parliament.

Role of Presiding Officer in case of disruptions

• The general principle is that it is the role and duty of the Presiding Officer — Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha — to maintain order so that the House can function smoothly. 
• In order to ensure that proceedings are conducted in the proper manner, the Speaker/ Chairman is empowered to force a Member to withdraw from the House.

Outcomes:

• Fall of parliamentary standards:
  • Opposition protests and ruling party vindictiveness have resulted in the fall of parliamentary standards.
  • Parliamentary discussion is a manifestation of a representative kind of democracy in operation, in the sense that representation of the people directly questions the government on matters of governance.
• Reduced working hours of Parliament: 
  • The Parliament working hours are getting reduced day by day due to frequent disruptions.
• Erosion of faith in Parliament:
  • Disruptions and ineffective functioning lead to a reduction in the trust of people in Parliament.
• Wastage of taxpayers’ money:
  • Parliament not functioning to its fullest potential is the blatant wastage of taxpayers’ money.

Suggestions

• Developing an Index: 
  • A parliamentary disruption index should be created as a measure to monitor disruptions in legislatures and check indiscipline. 
  • It would also lead to the availability of more time for debate and discussion on issues before the House.
• Prevent disruption of its proceedings: 
  • There should be more efforts to prevent the disruptions in cases of deliberations on critical national issues. 
  • It is the only mechanism to ensure that disrupting its proceedings or allowing them to be disrupted ceases to be a viable option.
• Enforcement of a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs: 
  • There must be strict adherence to the code of conduct for MPs and MLAs so that disruption of proceedings ceases to be an option.
• Modify the Anti-Defection Act: 
  • Currently, MPs who deviate from their parties’ position earn a fatal whipping and lose their seats.
    • There should be modifications to the anti-defection law so that it applies only in cases where the government’s survival is at stake.
• Increase in the working days of Parliament: 
  • Our legislature should meet throughout the year, like the parliaments of most developed democracies.
    • But these increased days will not help prevent disruptions if opposition parties don’t have the opportunity to debate and highlight important issues.
• Accord private member bills more space and respect: 
  • This will allow a variety of ideas to bubble up from the grassroots.
  • Governments will be able to listen to non-mainstream points of view and provide official support whenever appropriate.
  • This will enable your MPs to truly become lawmakers.
• Televise parliamentary committee proceedings: 
  • Bipartisanship and well-researched discussions are often the hallmarks of parliamentary committees. 
  • Yet this crucial aspect of the parliamentary process is well-hidden from the public.
• Enable “Public Interest Legislation: 
  • Create a system that will enable MPs to hear the viewpoints of affected citizens and initiate appropriate policy responses.
• Bring Transparency to the Clash of Interests: 
  • Before legislation is passed, various publics and groups find a way to articulate their viewpoints to key political decision-makers.
    • In India, this usually happens behind the scenes.

Way ahead

• An attempt must be made by parliamentarians to tamp down on this hostility with the onus on doing so being more on the ruling party and its representatives.
• There are enough tools, mechanisms, structures and precedents in India’s parliamentary history that can be relied upon by the current set of legislators to bring back useful deliberation. 
• Parliamentarians must realise that the bedrock of a functioning democracy is a flourishing legislature.