The House needs order

With the last session of the Rajya Sabha being a virtual washout from the work point of view on account of disorder in the House, we must reflect on ways to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament and our state legislatures.

An all-round consensus that includes even the smaller parties is needed to be rid of the malaise. Addressing a conclave of presiding officers of legislatures held in Lucknow recently, LS Speaker Sumitra Mahajan threw up the idea of auto-suspension if a legislator crossed into the Well of the House. Such a device may be presiding officer-friendly, but seems authoritarian.

While our legislators have rightly attracted derision for their unbecoming ways, often their protests are rooted in serious politics. It is thus generally up to the ruling party to make an authentic effort to address authentic grievances. Legitimate concerns were not sought to be assuaged last December in the Rajya Sabha, for instance.

A rush to the Well of the House may be occasioned by a genuine mood to question and protest when rules don’t permit a discussion or the government side is obdurate. The Speaker must take the call and judge each situation on merit, rather than let a wooden rule dictate the course of the game.