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A natural
expectation in the aftermath of the shocking Arms gate scandal was that
the opposition would put the government on the mat in the course of
debates in the Lok Sabha. But then that was too much to expect of
the Indian position, which regardless of the party performing this
role, is almost obstructionist,
Thus it is that Parliament continues to be paralyzed. As far long-pending
legislation aimed at bringing greater accountability and
transparency in government functioning, well, they pass on to the next
disruptive session. Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi has predictably
come up with a banal single point agenda Either Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee and his cabinet colleagues quit or Parliament stops functioning.
By undermining Parliament’s role as a forum for discussion and taking
its agitation to the streets, the Opposition has of course violated the
principles of parliamentary democracy. Worse, it may turn out that this
not even a particularly fruitful exercise. Of course, Mrs. Gandhi is
following in the footsteps of her illustrious predecessors. Today,
Parliament exists not to perform its legislative role, but to act as a
boxing ring for Parliament can, in fact be used by the Opposition to
oppose. Had the Congress president given this subject some thought, she
might have realized that the government is best exposed through informed
criticism on the floor of the House.
Thanks to a lack
of understanding of this basic political craft, Mrs Gandhi and her
colleagues in the Opposition may have lost a golden opportunity to turn
the Tehelka aftermath to their own advantage. Think of what
a lawyer might have done with the explosive evidence. Think of the
impact he would make should he put together a fool proof case and cross
examine the accused on point after point and do before live television
cameras. The answer will never make should he put together a foolproof
case and cross examine the accused on point after point and do before live
television cameras. The answer will never be known because all that people
can now see is a street brawl fought between two major groups, each
calling the other a thief; “Chor, Chor” has been the only ringing
slogan in this session of Parliament. Tragically, among the many Bills
waiting to be passed are some that the address the same chronic problem of
corruption in high places. Chief among these are a clutch of important
Bills like the Lok Pal Bill and the CVC Bill. The former, if enacted, will
bring greater accountability to the decision-making process and directly
place the PMO and the administrative services under public scrutiny. The
CVC Bill will result in the setting up of a commission to probe charges
against any government servant accused of corruption under the Prevention
of Corruption Act. Then there is the Protection of Plant Varieties and
Farmer’s Right Bills which deals with the opposition’s stand on these
Bills, each would have provided an opportunity for discussion. The CVC has
statistics to show that if the level of corruption is brought down to what
obtains in the Scandinavian countries, the country’s economy will grow
by an additional 1.5 per cent and FDI will go up by 12 per cent. Surely
these statistics should have been enough to spur the Opposition into
behaving like the ‘credible alternative’ they claim to be and the
people of this country so desperately need and deserve.
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