Is the Opposition shooting itself in the foot by disrupting Parliament?
When Parliament is disrupted, the first impression is usually that of a government unable to conduct business. That is particularly relevant now, because the Monsoon
When Parliament is disrupted, the first impression is usually that of a government unable to conduct business. That is particularly relevant now, because the Monsoon Session, which began on July 21, is facing repeated disruptions and adjournments almost from the outset, with Opposition parties protesting over a range of issues. Bills have been delayed, Question Hour is disrupted and proceedings are repeatedly adjourned. But there is another way of looking at the cost of a dysfunctional Parliament. It is one that places the Opposition, rather than the government, at the centre of the disadvantage. Read Full Story Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made precisely this argument at an IIMUN (India's International Movement to Unite Nations) event. Political protests, dharnas and demonstrations have a legitimate place in a democracy, he said, but Parliament serves a different purpose. It is where political disagreement is converted into questions, arguments, scrutiny and a permanent legislative record. A government with a majority can ultimately use its numbers to pass legislation. The Opposition, by contrast, has far fewer institutional tools to influence the government. Its most important ones are inside Parliament — Question Hour, Zero Hour, debates, motions, amendments and parliamentary committees. That makes a functioning Parliament particularly valuable to the Opposition. "There is no problem with all sorts of political demonstrations, dharnas, hartals, gheraos, sloganeering, whatever. All those are legal, constitutional and permitted in our democratic framework," Tharoor said. "But the temple of our democracy is a place where you go for prayer in the form of argument, debate and reasoned thinking," Tharoor said. The distinction matters because parliamentary democracy is not simply a mechanism for counting votes. The government's majority determines whether it can ordinarily get its legislation passed. Parliament, however, is also designed to make the government answer questions, defend its policies, hear objections and place its reasoning on record. And many of those mechanisms are more valuable to an Opposition party than to the government itself. THE OPPOSITION'S MOST IMPORTANT WEAPONS ARE PARLIAMENTARY Question Hour is perhaps the clearest example. The Lok Sabha describes asking questions as an "inherent and unfettered parliamentary right" of its members. During Question Hour, MPs can seek information on virtually every aspect of government administration and policy, while ministers are required to answer. Starred questions permit oral answers and supplementary questions, allowing MPs to pursue the government's response in real time. That accountability mechanism is especially useful to the Opposition.
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