BJP patriarch L.K Advani said that it is the job of Parliament to run smoothly. It is a pity that it had to be said. The House was disrupted once again on Thursday. Advani was so agitated that he remained seated in the Lok Sabha for 15 minutes even after adjournment. He said that he felt like resigning and his anger was understandable. This winter session of the Lok Sabha was the worst since the NDA came to power in 2014. President Pranab Mukherjee was also extremely critical of the MPs. The reason for the regrettable performance of MPs is not far to seek. There is no trust between the BJP and the Opposition. Demonetisation has widened the gap disrupting communication between the treasury benches and the Opposition. The Speaker is unable to bridge the gap. The Lok Sabha misses such elder statesmen like L.K Advani and Atal Behari Vajpayee who could show a non-partisan attitude and bring cashing groups to a sensible consensus. The functioning of the House is further hamstrung because of the coming assembly election in 5 states, especially in Uttar Pradesh. All political parties use the Lok Sabha as a forum to further their interests in the states. Debate gives way to acrimonious shouting.
The upshot of the disruptions during the winter session has been unfortunate. The government put 10 pieces of legislation on the list, notably the bill relating to the Goods and Service tax. Only four bills were passed during the session. The Lok Sabha functioned only 15% and the Rajya Sabha 17% of the time allotted. The Opposition and the ruling party went on trading accusations. Of course the major responsibility for the chaos rests with the ruling party and the Speaker. Curiously enough the BJP enjoys a massive majority in the Lok Sabha and yet the House has lost much of its prestige.
