Checking rowdies (December 1)

The need for a mechanism to monitor the conduct of the elected representatives both inside and outside the House has been felt and the code of conduct laid down by the high level conference on 'Discipline and Decorum in Parliament, State Legislatures and Union Territory Assemblies' could not have come at a more opportune moment. It needs no elaboration to say that the conduct of the elected representatives both inside and outside the House have been far from satisfactory and dare we say, violates and defiles the sanctum sanctorum of the House.

Everywhere whether it is Bihar, UP, the Lok Sabha and even here, the conduct of the elected representatives inside the sanctum sanctorum of Parliament or Assembly as the case may be, have at times bordered on hooliganism. Just last year the whole State was treated to a big scene when our elected MLAs went on the rampage inside the house after the Speaker admitted that no confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the then Nipamacha led United Front Government would be entertained and dramatically adjourned the House sine die. 

The developments that unfolded resembled a scene lifted straight out of a cowboy movie with the MLAs uprooting the microphones and making missiles out of it. It was no small co-incidence that none of the MLAs received any serious injuries.

But the damage inflicted on the sanctity of the house proved irredeemable. While the code of conduct is certainly welcome and testifies that the NDA Government is intent in pulling up the erring members of the House, the matter of greater import is to ponder why such a code is needed at all. Why do our elected members act like rowdies inside the House when healthy debates and discussions should be the norm rather than the exception? Why do Ministers and MLAs discard all probity thereby endangering the very essence of democracy? 

These are questions that need o be tackled seriously. It may not be altogether wrong to say that rowdyism inside the Parliament or Assembly is but another manifestation of the lumpenization and criminalization of politics. It is no secret that political parties of all hue and color have been embracing history sheeters and well known criminals and admitting them into their rank and file with just an eye on the election. 

The fruits that we are reaping today is because muscle power, money power, goondaism, booth capturing and proxy voting have become accepted practices during any election and the greatest tragedy is all political parties appear to be encouraging these trends. Atal Behari Vajpayee will have a tough job at hand to implement the code of conduct as already many political figures that do not know the meaning of civil behavior have made their way into Parliament and State assemblies across the country.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)

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