Three Steps To Improve The Functioning of the Parliament

The functioning of Parliament is marked by frequent disruption, conflict and low trust between the ruling party and the Opposition, resulting in laws being passed with limited debate, which is seen as harmful to India’s democratic deliberation.

Suggested Solutions

• Weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQ): A weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time should be instituted on the lines of the UK model, where the Prime Minister is present in the House every Wednesday at 12:00 PM for 30 minutes.
  • During this session, the Leader of the Opposition may ask six direct questions to the Prime Minister.
  • Rationale: Although India has a Question Hour at 11:00 AM, the Prime Minister is not always directly involved, and ministers usually give responses.
    • A weekly PMQ would ensure the Prime Minister’s direct accountability to Parliament.
    • It would provide the Opposition a structured platform to raise grievances.
    • It would allow the public greater insight into political accountability and governance.
• Opposition Day: One day every week should be designated as an Opposition Day, during which the Opposition sets the agenda of Parliament.
  • Rationale: Under the First Past the Post system, a party can form the government even if it receives fewer votes than the combined Opposition.
    • An Opposition Day would give the Opposition a meaningful stake in parliamentary functioning.
    • It would increase the Opposition’s sense of responsibility in the House.
      It could reduce incentives for the daily disruption of proceedings.
• Ensuring Speaker Neutrality: The Speaker should break formal ties with their political party upon election to ensure independence, as the Speaker functions as the “referee” of the House and is expected to act neutrally and independently.
  • UK Model: In the United Kingdom, a Speaker resigns from their political party upon election and retires from active politics. This allows the Speaker to challenge the ruling party without fear or favour.
  • Indian Context: In India, Speakers usually continue as members of the ruling party. This practice often leads to allegations of government bias.

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Conclusion

The success of the proposed reforms appears necessary to restore meaningful parliamentary functioning, but their success ultimately depends on sustained public pressure to compel political acceptance across party lines.