The first three days of the winter session of Parliament were marred by continuous interruption by the Opposition, especially the Congress. Still smarting from being denied the Leader of Opposition (LoP) status, the Congress disrupted proceedings in both the Houses, consistently protesting against former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's name being dropped from the new Hyderabad airport.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chose to take up the unaccounted money issue to corner the government. To make its protest visible, TMC members were bringing black umbrellas to Parliament and draping themselves in black shawls.
While the government termed the Opposition "obstructionists", the parties said this is the only way to make their voices heard by a stubborn government that does not give them any room to raise crucial issues.
Congress leader and former Union minister Veerappa Moily said it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that deserved to be called obstructionist, given its behaviour in the past five years when it was in Opposition. "In comparison, we have been least disruptive. We have allowed the House to function and Bills have been passed. They (BJP) ensured no business was transacted when we were in power in order to malign us."
Moily added: "They think they can silence the Congress' 44 with their big numbers. They didn't even give us our legitimate right for LoP and now they have to bring in as many as 20 amendments to various Acts. Isn't that wasting the time of Parliament?"
He justified instances when the Congress government went back on Bills and decisions, saying that was "for detailed scrutiny" of crucial Bills such as the Insurance Amendment Bill. "We have been aiding the government to pass labour reform laws, etc. We are here as a responsible Opposition. It is the government which has been adopting confrontationist attitude."
Moily also blamed the Narendra Modi-led government for not showing any conciliatory gestures. "There is no dialogue; they just want to bulldoze."
Accusing the government of implementing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's ideology, he said: "We are bound to react if there are strict ideological issues which are not in the interest of the country. We cannot be a silent spectator."
Nationalist Congress Party's national secretary and Rajya Sabha member Majeed Memon said not having an LoP in the Lok Sabha is "an assault on democracy". Emphasising the importance of opposition in a healthy democracy, Memon said the BJP should have given the second-largest party, the Congress, the LoP post.
"The danger of the overwhelming majority of the ruling party makes a strong Opposition all the more necessary. Nevertheless, the collective Opposition where parties make an effort to come to an understanding between them on various issues can still check undesirable designs of the ruling party," said Mamon. Agreeing that raking up election rhetoric was not desirable in Parliament, Memon said: "The BJP had made a promise of bringing back black money within 100 days. Now, there is a sea-change in their stand, so the Opposition is justified in pulling up the government."
TMC, which has been hogging news pages with its novel methods of protest, rejected the perception that it has been adopting disruptive tactics. Sultan Ahmed, TMC's Lok Sabha member, said: "In a democracy, it is the right of political parties to protest both within and outside Parliament."
He said there is nothing wrong in bringing umbrellas to Parliament. "This is not the first time. In 2008, L K Advani had brought in wads of notes into Parliament when Somnath Chatterjee was Speaker." What we are doing is not obstruction. We are raising issues like assault on MNREGA and black money, which are pro-people issues and we will continue to do so."
Justifying the Opposition's disruption, Samajwadi Party's Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agarwal said: "What route do we have left with when the government is not serious about the issues we in the Opposition raise. We do not obstruct, but raise issues."
He said there have been many instances of notices given by the opposition for raising issues of discussion in Parliament not being accepted.
Echoing similar sentiments, Communist party of India's D Raja said: "Disturbances are but an aberration. Its only when some parties become agitated on a particular issue. At the end of the day, that is not the defining characteristic of Parliament. It is a vibrant, social working Parliament."
According to him, Parliament has quality debates. "When Parliament works, it works. We sit till 9.00 pm and make up for lost time." As for parties opposing decisions that they espoused when they were in power, Raja said: "Parties take different positions according to their place in Parliament."
He also urged that the Opposition must not be perceived as a homogeneous unit. "Issues that the Left raises, will not be raised by TMC. How can you club the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) with the Left ? Every party has its own set of issues. Only on certain broad issues can there be convergence."
