‘The Parliament is a stage, and all the M.P.s are merely puppets: They have their shouting spells and their walk-outs; The pressure groups of the time pull the puppet strings, for the entire duration of the parliament session.’
….Shakespeare, paraphrased.
Prof. H C Pande
We are a great nation that loves to hear and tell stories. Quissa Khwani Bazaar of Peshawar, Purushapura of ancient times, bears testimony to the fact that, listen and tell,is our first love,honest work be damned.
Where else in the world do you have a whole market named as ‘Storytelling market’. Apparently Quissa Khwani Bazaar had functioned as the trade centre for buying and selling,stories and anecdotes,in the days of yore.
Today the Parliament has taken over as the choicest place where tales can be told,fiction can be framed,fantasies can be floated around,half truths and outright lies can be stated with a straight face.However,in this updated version of the Quissa Khwani Bazaar,in addition to facts and fancies being bandied about,ideologies,manifestos,sworn programs of the political parties and the election-time commitments of the Hon’ble(?) Members of Parliament can be bought,sold,bartered or exchanged.The Houses of Parliament now seem to function as the Bombay Stock Exchange on Dalal Street,with seasoned ‘Dalals’,national,anti-national,as well as international,thrown in.
There was a time when the proceedings of the Parliament were a serious matter.Discussions were on substantive issues,and,the suggestions advanced were seriously considered.The focus,then,was on the substance and not on the packaging,debates did not go in a tangent on frivolous issues of procedure,the parlance was analytical but not abusive,the members thumped the tables but did not jump on them.
Today,the people view the Parliament more as the Theatre of the Absurd where the member-actors are violating every parliamentary procedure and breaking every norm of parliamentary etiquette,hell bent on proving that parliamentary democracy is not going to succeed.
This change has come over the years,due to the rising role of the pressure groups who now,more then ever,keep pulling the strings of the marionettes of the political parties to safeguard their own interests. Now,that the Indian Elephant is up and about,it is natural that the countries having the lion’s share of trade and commerce are concerned about their own slice of the pie being trampled upon.Since the Elephant’s walk has to be restricted they look for lobbyists to disrupt the proceedings in the Parliament when needed,affecting the governance of the country,and slowing down its development & progress.And the political parties that are out of power are more than happy to lend a hand as it meets their vested interest as well.Unlike the His Majesty’s loyal opposition,His Excellency the President’s opposition is only loyal to itself and is always ready to paralyse the Parliament and transform the floor of the august house into a platform for staging farcical dramas and horseplays.The puppets move as per the pull on the strings of the party bosses,the lobbyists or the deep state.
In a democracy some party or the other would always be out of power ,and,as such,we seem to be fated to watch,not positive and productive debates between principled parliamentarians on matters of importance put up for consideration,but,witness angry aerobatics,jumps on the table,dives into the ‘Well’,theatrical walkouts,and, listen to invectives being thrown at each other by the people’s elected representatives,and,not a word on the bills being tabled for consideration.
Well,we love to listen and tell,still,with the Parliament costing Rs.2.5 lacs per running minute are we getting our money’s worth?
(Prof. H C Pande is Vice Chancellor Emeritus , BITS, Mesra)
