Engaging again

The budget session has been adjourned before schedule for the assembly elections,but even this one singular,patchy session has affirmed the importance of Parliament. This session witnessed both engaged disagreement and principled cooperation between the two major political formations. Predictably,the UPA was dragged over the coals over the 2G scandal,over Commonwealth Games corruption,and others. Through the WikiLeaks cable controversy about the trust vote,they interrogated Parliament’s own workings. In Lok Sabha,opposition leader Sushma Swaraj delivered a scintillating speech,high on substance and rhetoric. The prime minister responded with some brio himself,charm even,as Swaraj later conceded. The opposition’s issues were formally placed on record,and the government’s responses exhaustively presented. These are vital transactions that cannot occur outside the space of Parliament. Even though much time was lost in combat,Rajya Sabha made up for some of it by staying late,even skipping lunch.

The budget session also made some significant legislative headway,even though most of the 32 bills slated for this session could not be introduced — and it is hoped that progress will be made after the assembly campaign ends. The penultimate day of the session augured will when the BJP put its scorched earth strategy in perspective to help the UPA,to concertedly push for the pension regulatory bill,despite the Left’s attempts to scuttle it. It was a reminder that no matter how deep ideological disagreements run,sometimes it’s important for responsible parties to put in some pragmatic teamwork,and form provisional coalitions of action when it comes to critical policy issues.

The two leading parties,of course,have more in common than they like to openly admit. Parliament should see more of those synergies harnessed for public interest.

Their political disputes are equally,if not more,significant. There’s no magical solvent to melt the real disagreements between government and opposition,in principles,instincts and rhetoric. These arguments are the very stuff of deliberative democracy — and Parliament is the arena where they must be aired and resolved. Of course,there is plenty that needs resolving,with much critical legislation not having been addressed this session,and spilling over into the next — including the contentious women’s reservation bill,the land acquisition bill and the financial bills promised in the Union budget. Hopefully,this revived political investment in the processes of Parliament will ensure a vigorous debate on all these matters in the next session.