Parliament and LAC
– N K Tripathi
Indian Parliament is the unruly child of its British mother. While the mother parliament at times gets maximum human decibels, but no physical movements are seen. Here in India MPs jump into the well, not for committing suicide, but to murder the democracy. However, we have not touched the glory of Taekwondo being displayed in Taiwan and South Korea. Our Parliament has fewer physical acrobatics, but more procedural disruptions – adjournments, slogan shouting and stalled sessions.
Late Arun Jaitley declared that the sustained disruption is a democratic tool for the opposition. MPs are literally following his credo. Since then we have lost innumerable session after session. None can recall on what issues.
I do remember the recent issue for the ruckus. It was a passage from an unpublished, but by now widely known, book by the farmer army chief, Narawane. Rahul the LOP wanted to prove that Modi is indecisive, timid and therefore unfit to rule. He could not give instructions in seconds on some ongoing standoff on the LAC. The government through the speaker kept away this passage being disclosed.
To be honest, we can say that the responsibility for the smooth functioning of the parliament primarily lies with the government. In my humble opinion, the government should have allowed Rahul to read not only this passage, but if he wanted, the entire book. In any case for the majority of Indians the 2020 Chinese encroachment of LAC is already history. The fading memory says that the crisis was somehow managed.
Brahma Chillany is one of the few defence experts who is critical of our weaknesses in geopolitical strategy. I quote him believing that his note is not fabricated :-
“According to Naravane’s own account, the Chinese advance prompted him to seek urgent guidance from the defense minister and the national security adviser. The political leadership, he writes, authorized him to respond as he judged appropriate — conveying the direction, “Jo uchit samjho, woh karo” (“Do what you think is fit”). Despite this delegation of authority granting him carte blanche, Naravane presents the episode as an abdication of responsibility by the government- – – – Civilian control of the military does not entail political micromanagement of battlefield decisions.”
Modi government could have managed the debate.
A working understanding between the government and the opposition is the first requirement for the rapid development of our poor country. Every political party knows that India needs tough reforms. This is not possible without some consensus or understanding among all parties. For this Modi should allow the Parliament to function, holding his egos and his enforcement agencies, for the sake of the future welfare of the country. LOP should also not throw around his pathological hatred of Modi on the floor of the Parliament. Parliamentarians should not cross the LAC- Line of Actual Civility.
