MP's - Make'em Pay

Another disastrous session of Parliament has ended with less than 50% capacity utilised and another three or four hundred crores of taxpayers’ money wantonly squandered. If it is not one party it is another engaging in rowdy behaviour  while mouthing inanities about democratic right to protest -  and all this not even a week after praising Babasaheb Ambedkar and the sanctity of the Constitution ! Leaders have become as delinquent as the led !

Defying the Chair and violating rules of the Parliament made under the Constitution have become routine and to some extent the presiding officers have to take the blame for this. Over a period of years the Chair has become “One of Them” and consensus even about disciplinary matters has become the norm.

Rajya Sabha, in particular, has seen more disruptions with one of the leading presiding officers  facing goon-like demonstrations with hands joined in a permanent namasthe pleading for order or sitting with his head resting in his hands and muttering “What can I do ?” The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has shown much greater firmness and even suspended offending MP’s. As a result Lok Sabha has been more productive.

The MP’s have become complacent with their power to overwhelm by force and then condone it themselves. It is time to rein them in as rules made until now were made on the assumption that the elected representatives would be persons with a sense of responsibility  and feelings for their constituency and the nation. That assumption is now in question.

There was this shameful sight of the Parliament losing a session for lack of quorum. It was also unacceptable that towards the end of last week many MP’s wished to curtail the session to enable them to catch the early evening flights home. Not for a moment did they think of the hours lost in wanton behaviour.

The time has come for the people to remind the MP’s that they are accountable to the people and NOT vice versa as one would think from the MPs’ demands for greater compensation in cash and privileges. These will  only serve to put more distance between them and the people they represent.