In “Monsoon magic for Parliament” (September 22), A K Bhattacharya makes the myopic assumption that Parliament’s effectiveness can only be judged by the number of Bills passed. He regards protests and making the government accountable for its actions a waste of time. We must, however, recognise that putting the executive on the mat is as important a function of Parliament as passing new Bills. This is even more applicable today when it is commonly recognised that the country lacks a transparent and effective executive. Such authors are the first to criticise the Opposition if it takes to the streets on issues like inflation and scams for disrupting economic activity. If the Opposition is not supposed to use either the street or the Parliament to make the executive accountable what, then, is the tool in its hands?
Secondly, one cannot overstate the importance of a thorough Parliamentary debate on complex and far-reaching legislation. It is better to pass a few well-debated Bills with a broad consensus than ram through several hastily put together ones using “floor management”.
Ramganesh Iyer, on email
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