The bitter truth
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The parliament session presently ongoing has been sunk in ruckus and pandemonium since it started over the issue of Pegasus espionage for which nobody is sure whether it actually exists or not. But, the opposition Congress MPs want to have one reason to disrupt the working in parliament and they got in the form of Pegasus. The government also does not want to MPs should honestly and sincerely work in the house and so they must be happy that the work is disrupted. The opposition MPs have lost a golden chance to corner the government by asking questions in the house on many issues like the shortage of vaccines, deaths due to lack of enough oxygen and sky rocketing prices of petrol and diesel. It is very difficult for the treasury benches to answer these questions. As pointed out by Congress senior leader Manish Tiwary, after the anti-defection law in 1985, the MPs and MLAs have been transformed into puppets of their respective parties. They have lost their own thinking or their own discretion and conscience. They just vote according to whip. The people’s representatives have lost their own thought process. Till 1980, the MPs and MLAs were extremely eager to express their feelings and opinion in the house because that was made after the study and well thought out plan. Today, no member of parliament wastes midnight oil to study the bills and laws which are to be taken for discussion the next day. The members already know the bills would be passed or rejected according to government wishes as it has majority. No member takes trouble to even read any law or draft of bill thoroughly. Opposition party members are eager to only boycott the house and then they become busy in luncheon meetings with any businessmen in Delhi who are interested in making entry into corridor of power in Sansad. This is reality and it has been a routine since 35 years. It is not that, before 1985, it was not being happened. But the cases were rare. Today, if a MP gives a speech after making lot of study, he is being congratulated and honoured. Actually, this is constitutional duty of MPs and MLAs to make good speeches full of knowledge and study. The bitter truth is that, questions are raised in the parliament or state assemblies on the behalf of any industrialist or company or business houses. Actually, our parliament has always been controlledby business houses or industrialist. In Indira Gandhi’s period, the interference of G D Birla was an open secret. Not only that, he had once exposed about how he had to pay money to former prime minister for a decision favourable for his industry. The irony is that, even if the MPs or MLAs neglect the presence in the house or do not participate in the debate in the house, he is sure of being re elected to the house. The voters have no knowledge of his actual performance in the parliament. They blindly re elect him as their representative. This is mockery of our democracy. After all this thought, if anybody askes the question that, what is the need of such house for the country, he is not wrong. What is the need of such houses? These houses do not serve the down trodden or poor people. They only serve to few industrialists. The parliament or state assemblies have been now white elephants. This point should be discussed on national level.