15th Parliament: The curious case of ill-mannered Indian MPs

The 15th Lok Sabha session saw many shades of histrionics ranging from an MP using pepper spray inside the Parliament house to other MPs incessantly and nonchalantly chanting “phaad do, phek do” as the controversial Telangana Bill was being discussed. Not only was, for the first time, the Lok Sabha telecast blacked out (the reason is still being debated), it was also the most disrupted Lok Sabha session in the history of independent India. [caption id=“attachment_1403143” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] Usually it is the Opposition that is guilty of disrupting the house, but in the Winter Session even Congress MPs from the Telangana regions were equally responsible for the din. Can the ruling Congress be blamed for not being able to manage the House? Congress MP Manick Tagore during a debate on CNN-IBN refused to tke plame and pointed an accusing finger at the BJP instead. “The BJP could not digest the victory of the Congress in 2009. They staged a walkout during Pranab Mukherjee’s budget speech,” he said. Tagore also said, “It is not the whole house that protests and disrupts the house. It is only a handful of MPs.” As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got up to address the house during the debate on the Telangana Bill, MPs led by TMC’s Derek O’Brien created such a ruckus that it drowned the PM’s voice. Not only that, some of them tore up bits of paper and came close to throwing them at the Prime Minister. Is this the only way to lodge protest? TMC MP Sougata Roy vehemently denied that TMC MPs created any ruckus. He almost made it look like a non-issue. “Our members definitely protested the bifurcation of Andhra. We felt it was a political ploy and not an administrative decision. We did not disrupt the Parliament,” he said. Roy also said, “There was a headphone and the microphone and everyone could hear the Prime Minister. People of the country could hear the him. I myself heard the PM’s speech on television. And what is this with MPs surrounding the PM or the Home Ministers. Are they bouncers?” Meanwhile Suheil Seth was of the opinion that MPs were behaving like thugs and indulging in hooliganism instead of debating. “I understand that because of emotions MPs can get carried away, but there is not even a hint of an apology,” he said and added, “MPs are not supposed to bouncers, but they are not supposed to be thugs either. They are supposed to debate and discuss. But all they do is shout and abuse.” To Seth’s comments Roy said, “Sometimes the Parliament reflects the turbulence in the country. The present government does not believe in debate.” While the ruling party is always easily blamed the the Opposition for not being able to conduct Parliament, there needs to be a solution to ensure that it runs smoothly. BJP MP Chandan Mitra says that the ruling party did not take other parties into confidence over the Telangana Bill. “It is the primary responsibility of the ruling party to conduct Parliament smoothly. For any major legislation the ruling party needs to take other parties into confidence. But they go like a bull in a china shop. Telangana Bill would have been passed smoothly if the government had it taken up systematically. The ruling side for the past five years has made almost no effort to take the opposition on board,” he said. BJP MP Pinkai Misra seemed the most disappointed of all the panelists during the debate with what happened in the Parliament, “I never thought the day would come when I would be deeply embarrassed to be identified as a parliament member. Unfortunately nothing is going to change. The Congress will lose this election and will be as vicious in Opposition,” he said. Adding to Misra’s argument, Seth said, “Not only is an MP a subject of ridicule and shame, they are also denigrating the institution. The guys who are going to the well of the House are playing up to a voter gallery who like this dabangg style of protest.” But what is the solution? Seth said, “Parties are choosing lumpen elements. Party leaders allow these people to behave this way. There must be demonstrable action.” However, Misra suggested that the Chair of the House should be given more power. “I see no light at the end of the tunnel. If political bosses encourage their MPs, if they don’t give the protection the Chair wants to suspend or expel, then nothing will change. It is a charade that will go on.”