Parliament: A Political Battleground Where Public Interest Takes A Backseat - News18

On the final day, an image encapsulated the session's failures: Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Member of Parliament from Manipur, stood at Parliament's Makar Dwar, holding a poster apologising to his people for his inability to raise the pressing issues of Manipur in the House. This reflected the grim reality of a session that began with Congress protests over the Adani controversy and crony capitalism, saw counter-protests by the BJP over George Soros, and concluded with bitter exchanges over alleged insults to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Amid these political clashes, regional MPs voiced their frustration, accusing both Congress and BJP of derailing Parliament's functioning and preventing them from raising matters of public importance. The disruptions severely impacted core parliamentary processes like Zero-Hour notices, Question Hour, and Private Members' Bills. According to PRS Legislative Research, Lok Sabha functioned for just 52 per cent of its scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha fared even worse at 39 per cent. The first week of the session saw both Houses operating for less than 10 per cent of their planned time. Of particular concern was the collapse of Question Hour -- a vital tool for holding the government accountable. In Rajya Sabha, Question Hour was scrapped on 15 out of 19 days. In Lok Sabha, it failed to run for more than 10 minutes on 12 out of 20 days. Question Hour is traditionally used by MPs to demand answers from the government on its policies and decisions. The session's dysfunction also rendered the Private Members' Business (PMB) almost irrelevant. No PMB was taken up in Lok Sabha, while only a single resolution was discussed in Rajya Sabha. Every Friday, two hours are set aside for MPs (who are not ministers) to raise important issues or propose legislative changes. But due to constant adjournments, this crucial time was wasted. The legislative output during this session was strikingly poor. Only one Bill -- the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 -- was passed in the first six months of the 18th Lok Sabha's term, the lowest in the past six terms, according to PRS analysis. Of 16 bills introduced, just two were passed. This lack of legislative progress highlights the extent of the gridlock. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the start of the Budget session, urged opposition parties to set aside political bickering and focus on legislative work, noting that the electoral battles were now behind. The BJP accuses Congress of obstructing Parliament in its pursuit of political warfare against the Modi government. Meanwhile, Congress blames the ruling party for turning the House into a battleground over issues like George Soros, which led to frequent adjournments. In the end, critical issues such as the unrest in Manipur and the ongoing inflation crisis failed to find a voice in Parliament. The public's growing disinterest in parliamentary proceedings might not be unrelated to the Parliament's failure to allocate time for matters of national importance. As Parliament continues to serve as a political battleground rather than a forum for public debate, one question remains: when will the interests of the people finally take precedence over political point-scoring?