Can the dignity of an august House — the Parliament — be ensured through unprecedented censure? This is the question that has surfaced after the Rajya Sabha set a rather dubious record by suspending as many as 19 members — all from the Opposition — for their sustained protest against the rise in prices. This rap on the knuckles had been preceded by disciplinary action against four members of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. The Narendra Modi government has been complaining that the Opposition has laid siege to Parliament with its insistence on an immediate discussion on the prickly issue of rising prices even though the Centre had assured it of deliberations once the Union finance minister recovers from an ailment. The Opposition has alleged that this is merely another tactic employed by the government to evade scrutiny on public welfare. The prevailing logjam makes it necessary to reflect on the idea of ‘dignity’ of Parliament. It can be assumed that respect for the House is best shown by upholding the tradition of debate. Mr Modi’s regime has cut a sorry figure for itself in this context. There are numerous instances of legislation being passed sans adequate exercises in representative consultation. This also raises an additional, but related, concern. There has been considerable heartburn over the rising incidents of disruption in Parliament that, it is argued, reduce the productivity of the institution. But a true measure of productivity entails not just the number of bills passed or not but also the manner of their passage. The Centre’s refusal to accommodate spirited discussion is relevant here. A second parameter of parliamentary dignity pertains to the quality of the relationship between the government and the Opposition. Here too, the ties seem to be at their lowest, marked by acrimony and excesses, allegedly from the side of the former. This does not augur well for a polity that is premised on federalism.

The penchant for cracking the whip on the Opposition, justifiably or not, stems from the National Democratic Alliance’s numerical hubris. The word is that electoral majority is being weaponised to shrink spaces — the Parliament included — for the Opposition to make itself heard. This erosion is engineered, even strategic. It is meant to weaken — gag? — the Bharatiya Janata Party’s political adversaries. The best bet for the Opposition would be to mobilise the people on their hardships. In a democracy, the voice of the people remains sacred.