Rise above petty politics

The winter session of Parliament has not begun too well. The nation’s main House of the legislature has once again been held to ransom by the politics of the forces in the government and those that oppose them. While the Lok Sabha had to shut without transacting business on the opening day in honour of the departed souls, the Elders could have shown the way by getting down to business than allow the politics of the hustings hold it to ransom.

True, the issue of the Prime Minister alluding to a collusion between the main Opposition party and a foreign country to try and intervene in the internal election process was a subject worthy enough of a debate. The charges made were serious and may not have been sustainable except in the typical business of electioneering, now considered a platform in which anything and everything is fair.

The chairman of the Rajya Sabha had ruled that the notice served by the Congress was not admissible as the matter was political, not legislative in nature. It would have made sense then to accept the ruling by an official who had the power to make that decision and get on with what legislators are supposed to do.

It is regrettable that a pattern of politicising the legislature has led to Parliament not doing half the work it is supposed to do in terms of debating and passing bills. This pattern of holding up Parliament has been seen over the last several years and all political parties, when in Opposition, have been guilty of reducing the legislature to a theatre of protest. It is important that both, the ruling party and the Opposition, don’t lose sight of the national priorities. They should rise above the petty politics and uphold the primacy of their function as legislators.