PM for a workable code of conduct

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25. It was a time for introspection and some plain-speaking for the parliamentarians and the top political brass. The Prime Minister, the Vice-President and the Leader of the Opposition joined presiding officers from all over the country to bemoan the falling standards in Parliament and State Legislatures and to suggest correctives to redress the downslide.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, voiced his concern over the increase in the scenes of bedlam and pandemonium in the House. ``We must not only evolve a code of conduct but also adhere to it,'' he said.

In the era of coalition politics, it was mandatory for parties to work together. It was the responsibility of both the Treasury Benches and the Opposition to ensure that the House functioned properly. The Prime Minister also asked the Opposition to desist from doing anything that would harm democratic values.

Mr. Vajpayee regretted that little progress had been made despite several conferences and attempts at redressing the malady. A stage had come where the world recognised India as the largest democracy but did not share the view that the country had done justice to the system or managed to resolve its problems through it.

`Increase sittings'

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi, in his address at the inaugural session, stressed the need for proper functioning of Parliament and Legislatures to prevent the Executive and the Judiciary from encroaching upon its jurisdiction.

The sharp decline in the number of days they functioned and the persistent flouting of rules and conventions adversely affected the smooth functioning of State Legislatures. Mr. Balayogi called for an increase in number of sittings and duration of sessions.

In a brief and pointed speech, the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, made some practical suggestions for improving the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures. She called for an absolute ban on entering the well of the House and strict disciplinary action in case the rule was breached. Initiating the debate on ``Decency and Decorum in Legislatures'', Ms. Gandhi however made it clear that a great deal of the disruption was due to the Government's reluctance to face the House on controversial matters.

Much of the problems in the functioning of the Legislatures arose when Governments ``behave arbitrarily, try to impose their will without discussion, considered dissent `anti- national' and approach the House with a closed mind,'' she said. Presiding Officers should assist the Opposition in raising issues which may be uncomfortable to the Treasury Benches, see that rules of procedure creatively interpreted to give the Opposition and the back benchers in the Treasury Benches a chance of ventilating their grievances.

Ms. Gandhi suggested augmenting the number of days for which the House meets as a key to obviating disruption, besides shifting Question Hour to the evenings. The House could sit in the forenoon on Saturdays and private members business could be shifted to these sessions. Extending sittings up to 20 days could considerably expand the scope of the debate. ``Whenever any disruption occurs or the House does not meet on account of holidays, mourning or other such occasions, the lost time should be automatically compensated by longer sittings or additional working days,'' she said.

The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mr. P.M. Sayeed, who is also the Chairman of the Drafting Committee which prepared the Code of Conduct adopted at the meeting, suggested a proper mechanism for training legislators, especially the newcomers.

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