Chatterjee: Pleased

New Delhi, Sept. 5: Somnath Chatterjee was showered with praise but MPs in general came in for flak at a discussion last evening on how to strengthen parliamentary democracy.

The politicians at the roundtable conference, called by the Lok Sabha Speaker himself, avoided suggesting fundamental changes to the system but civil society representatives ripped into the political class.

Many speakers declared there wasn’t a single leader whom the country could look up to. Their solutions to House disruptions ranged from “no pay, no work” to de-recognition of parties of repeat offenders. One speaker even suggested an age ceiling of 65 years to keep out “selfish and narrow-minded” people with outdated ideas.

Most participants began by saluting Chatterjee for proving there was at least one person who could rise above party interests to uphold parliamentary democracy. Somnath looked pleased.

The Speaker, known for his admonition of unruly MPs, expressed concern at the confrontational way politics was being practised, but didn’t suggest any drastic cure.

Constitutional expert Shanti Bhushan said the Election Commission should monitor parties’ behaviour in Parliament. “The EC can send warnings to parties disrupting Parliament a couple of times and should have the power to de-recognise the party which doesn’t mend its ways.”

Justice Rajinder Sachar thought only the principle of “no work, no pay” could solve the problem while columnist Kuldeep Nayar wondered if India should adopt the presidential system of governance.

Nayar said the chief cause of disruption was the parties’ habit of using Parliament to push their narrow agenda.

Jurist Fali Nariman rued the country’s inability to find a few hundred good people to fill the two Houses.

Journalist Harish Khare shocked the meeting with his reasons for demanding an age limit for MPs. He said there was “an organised conspiracy to thrust mediocrity on the nation through the outdated, conceited, failed and bogus ideas” of older people who become “more selfish, unaccommodating, vicious and narrow-minded”.

Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan suggested that Parliament be given a greater say in government decisions and cited the nuclear deal.

Among the politicians, Pranab Mukherjee was too tied up with the nuclear deal to come but the Congress’s Girija Vyas suggested that MPs be given proper training.

The BJP’s Jaswant Singh defended his party’s confrontational attitude, saying the “government will have its way only if the Opposition has its say”.

Neither party appeared in the mood to accept agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan’s advice that all political parties work out a common minimum programme on vital issues.

He introduced a different note to the discussions, saying: “India’s democracy will not be endangered because some people unnecessarily rush to the well (of the House). Democracy may not survive because we have extreme poverty, disparity, violence.”