Indian Parliament is supposedly the temple of democracy. But on the day the finance minister, Piyush Goyal, standing in for Arun Jaitley, presented the interim budget, the ‘temple of democracy’ resembled a concert house. Such are the wonders of New India. And, as has been the case in the last five years, it was the prime minister who took upon himself the responsibility of conducting this bizarre, orchestrated musical. When Mr Goyal announced his relief measures — sops for the middle class, farmers as well as members of the unorganized sector — the members of the ruling party chanted the prime minister’s name in unison. Of course, Narendra Modi would not mind being at the centre of attention. Idolatry has evidently replaced oratory ever since Mr Modi and his party ascended the pedestal of power. Parliament has, in keeping with the great democratic tradition of verbal duels, witnessed stirring exchanges between political rivals. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the tallest leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was a noted exponent in this respect. The Congress, India’s Grand Old Party, has had numerous distinguished speakers too, starting with Independent India’s first prime minister. But the standards of oratory have been on the decline for a while now. It has been replaced by acerbic, insensitive comments. The prime minister set an example in this respect too, alluding to a mythical ogress while commenting on the laughter of a woman parliamentarian. Insensitivities and the erosion of meaningful debate are not the only challenges confronting Parliament. Worryingly, the BJP’s predilection for theatrics — the Central Hall had been chosen as the venue for the inauguration of the goods and services tax — and orchestration — this was evident from the coordinated desk-thumping on Budget Day — could end up weakening the culture of scrutiny that leads to the creation of institutional checks and balances.
Perhaps the BJP’s performance in governance explains its greater reliance on such simulation. Mr Goyal has been criticized for his meagre budgetary allocation in such critical avenues as health and education. The concessions to farmers, it has been revealed, may not add to much either. The shadow has, once again, fallen between promises and deliverance. Even a disciplined party orchestra that follows its prime minister diligently is thus beginning to sound out of tune.