uncouth
| Date :23-Sep-2020 |
ONE word that sums up the conduct of eight suspended Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) is ‘uncouth’. The manner in which they stepped into the Rajya Sabha well, stepped up to the Chair, used very abusive words against Deputy Chairman Mr. Harivansh, tore the papers on his table and came close almost to cause him physical harm is nothing but an uncouth conduct that shows certain shamelessness and no sense of responsibility towards the dignity of the House of Rajya Sabha and decency and decorum expected of its members.
This is not politics. This is hooliganism in the name of protest, and an attempt to stall the proceedings of the House somehow on pretext that has no justification whatsoever. The kind of arguments forwarded by the Opposition during the discussion on farm Bills was nothing but a show of obstinacy. The passage of the Bills was as per the norm and procedures. Yet, the Opposition members had decided to stall the proceedings somehow, and therefore indulged in uncouth conduct that could have taken an ugly turn had the Marshals not been present in the House.
The worst twist came subsequently when the eight suspended MPs refused to leave, creating an unprecedented situation in the Rajya Sabha. Subsequently, those MPs also started a sit-in agitation in Parliament Complex, and ever refused to accept the tea that Deputy Chairman Mr. Harivansh offered them. This refusal of goodwill had never been encountered in the history of Parliament, indicating clearly that the Opposition has no other agenda than disturbing the proceedings and project the Government’s non-existent failure to address the farmers’ issue properly.
These stalling tactics were nothing but extension of the political game the Akali Dal played when it asked its Minister Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal to resign. The Government was absolutely clear on the benefits of the provisions of the two farm Bills to the farmers. It also pointed to a fact that the Congress party has previously supported the legislation, but changed its mind at the last minute since it suited its politics of stalling tactics. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi also went out of the way to explain the details of the farm Bills and urged the farmers not to be misled by the political games the Opposition was playing. The biggest difficulty with the Opposition is that it has run out of ideas to counter the Government. In the past few months, it did not have any chance to create obstacles in the Government’s smooth functioning. But when Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Council of Ministers on the farm Bills issue, the Opposition got the chance to take the plunge.
The whole turn of events is unfortunate, to say the least. The Opposition must realise that it is making a principal blunder by trying to block the farm Bills that have many revolutionary provisions to benefit the farmers in the long run. In fact, the two Bills are a fine example of a blend of continuity and change. The Prime Minister described the legislation as a need of the 21st century. But the obstinacy displayed by the Opposition is akin to the one demonstrated by them after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act -- opposition just for the heck of it. This is a massive distortion of the process of democracy. For, the Government has been following all norms and procedures and is having most legislations cleared through legitimate channels on the floor of the Parliament.
That actually leaves no ground for the Opposition to counter the Government. So such uncouth conduct that brings disrepute to the principle of sensible dissent and responsible questioning of the ways and means of the Government. This also militates against the foundation of bipartisan dialogue that is so critical to the success of representative democracy. Unfortunately, the Opposition has failed to understand the crux of dialogue and pluralistic discourse. Of course, it is doing all this only to its own peril. For, in the long run, the common people of India are going o reject such tactics finally.