Bountiful monsoon

Bountiful monsoon

Parliament’s monsoon session showcased possibilities when political parties and representatives work.

The monsoon session of parliament which ended last week was the most productive one among monsoon sessions since 2000. In its 16 sittings, parliament passed 20 bills. In addition, there was an unsuccessful no-confidence motion which saw a 12 hour debate. This is a good sign as parliament sessions in the recent past have seen frequent disruptions. Such disruptions are not only a waste of taxpayer resources, they also represent a wasted opportunity to ensure accountability in government functioning. Hopefully, the monsoon session represents a change in approach among parliamentarians.

The bills passed and debates were a mixed bag. A bill which received unanimous backing was the amendment to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which aimed to overturn a Supreme Court verdict this year introducing checks and balances to prevent misuse of the law. This bill could have done with more debate as experience suggests any law without checks and balances leads to unintended consequences and abuse. Another important bill passed was an amendment to Prevention of Corruption Act. A significant change here was a tightening of the definition of corruption of public servants to include a money trail. This legislation covers bankers and therefore influences credit growth, among other things.

Other enactments include a constitutional amendment to create a national commission for backward classes that will now be a constitutional body, and a bill which allows government to confiscate property of people who have turned fugitives to avoid facing trial for economic offences. Another positive during the session were the debates in Rajya Sabha over vigilantism and National Register of Citizens in Assam. These debates are integral to the legislative process too as NDA has been willing to consider alternative suggestions to muster adequate support.

Another interesting trend which appeared to gain momentum was the incidence of private members bills. In the current Lok Sabha 142 members have introduced private bills. While no private member bill has been enacted since 1970, the inclination to introduce them suggests that parliamentarians are willing to go beyond limitations imposed by official positions of political parties. Going forward, parties should avoid disruptions as they undermine the quality of democracy. If the current Lok Sabha has seen nearly a thousand private member bills introduced, it signals individual parliamentarians have a positive approach. This needs to show up in debates too.