Rowdyism in House

Last Friday, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar was left with no option but to adjourn the House sine die in the wake of the continued disruption of its proceedings by MPs at their rowdy best. Before announcing the indefinite adjournment, she said: ‘‘It is disturbing to note that a thinking is growing among certain sections in the House that the House should be paralysed in order to make a political point.’’ She asked the MPs to make an ‘‘honest introspection’’ about the ‘‘disturbing trend’’ in the functioning of the House. But why should these MPs make any honest introspection about the decline of democratic tradition in the sanctum sanctorum of Parliament when they know it will not suit them? Since most of them are not educated enough to take part in debates and score points intelligently, backed by solid homework, the only option for them to prove their presence is to shout each other down and even fight physically. The third session of the 15th Lok Sabha commenced on November 19 and witnessed  21 sittings spread over 105 hours, of which the House lost 31 hours and 49 minutes due to interruptions and forced adjournments. This reflects on the kind of parliamentary culture that the MPs, cutting across party lines, have helped create and sustain to the detriment of the health of this evolving democracy. Given the fact, the people of the country cannot afford to remain muted. They must make their elected representatives face the music by boycotting them. Such representatives do not represent anyone. They exist solely for themselves. THE SENTINEL