The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the corresponding session of the Rajya Sabha were notable for the renewed spirit of parliamentary debate on display, notwithstanding the excessive combativeness and avoidable grandstanding by the government and the Opposition. Echoes of the election campaign continued too, as Rahul Gandhi, in his debut as the designated Leader of Opposition (LoP), mounted an aggressive critique of the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Modi in turn called into question the track record and intentions of the Congress, and Mr. Gandhi’s capacity. Both sides categorically declared fealty to the Constitution of India, while accusing each other of trying to undermine it. They also crossed swords over Hinduism and its political role. The rise of a strong Opposition — with no designated LoP earlier — and the return of coalition politics as the leading party lacks an absolute majority may restore the role of Parliament. The increase in Opposition numbers can help restore healthy traditions such as more Bills getting scrutinised by parliamentary standing committees. A robust Opposition can also act as an effective restraint on the government, preventing it from bulldozing opposition with its legislative agenda. The 17th Lok Sabha not only earned the dubious distinction of having seen the suspension of the most number of Opposition MPs (146 in a single session, including Rajya Sabha MPs) but also functioned without a Deputy Speaker, a post usually reserved for the Opposition. To underscore this point, the INDIA bloc predicated its support for Om Birla as the Speaker only on the condition that the government agreed to offer it the deputy chair. The stalemate eventually led to an election between Mr. Birla and Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), which Mr. Birla won through a voice vote. The Opposition did not press for a division and rich parliamentary tradition was followed, with Mr. Modi, leader of the House, and Mr. Gandhi, LoP, escorting Mr. Birla to his Chair.
The roles of the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman gain additional prominence. The Opposition has urged them to be even-handed. The Opposition has also questioned the expunging of portions of Mr. Gandhi’s speech from the records by the Speaker. The threshold for removing parts of what is spoken in the House from official records should be very high. Following the deviation from the standard format by several members, the Speaker has constituted a committee to frame rules for oath-taking. Parliamentary speeches could do with more humour and less diatribe, but the fact that there was an expanded debate is encouraging. The Treasury and Opposition benches must understand that their place in the highest seat of democracy is to represent the people who sent them there. They must find a common sense of purpose and function in a spirit of accommodation.
