Parliament Session On,But Where Is PM ? —Prof P K Sharma
How ironical it is that the second phase of Parliament Session (Budget-2026-2027) is in progress since March 09 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi- leader of the House of People prefers to skip it opting to address Election Rallies on March,11 in Kochi Kerala. Even during the peak of fatal Corona catastrophe in 2021, he crazily and casually went on campaigning for BJP win in West Bengal Assembly Polls but all in vain. Why he feels shy of facing opposition Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s criticism, remaining away much from the temple of democracy with occasional miser a presence not at all interested in mustering wisdom of all hues to guide the destiny of India? At present, he is facing dual opposition one at home and the other one at the international level. In this context, intimate friends’ trio of Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Narendra Modi are sailing in the same boat.
Does it not bear testimony to the fact that he has scant respect for Indian Parliamentary Democracy even though he as “sheer tokenism “has been resonating India as “a mother of democracy “at home and foreign soil in discourses off and on. Is it not bizarre a mockery indeed of parliamentary-cum- constitutional democracy, opted for very objectively by our guiding stars on attaining freedom. For consecutive days together, the absence of PM Modi from Parliament is not at all worth condoning in the best interests of India that is BHARAT and parliamentary democracy, is it? What is the fun of making NDA rule at Centre only “A Cover Book Government with Pages Blank!”
Parliament’s budget session on, why should not PM accord topmost priority and primacy to the proceedings of Parliament? Why should he slip into hibernation much of the time staying away from Parliament the temple of democracy though after becoming the Prime Minister in 2014 for the first time while entering the Parliament House, he did bow his head on the threshold of the Complex as a mark of respect. After that no respect after just an optics of a couple of minutes, how much queer and whimsical an attitude!
For the past over a decade or so, the democracy in India has been reduced to a government of whims, silence, opacity unaccountability and a child’s play. The Sweden based V-De (Varieties of Democracies) Institute at the University of Gothenburg went to the extent of terming India as an “Electoral Autocracy.” For the past almost seven years, the Lok Sabha is pulling on sans a constitutional office of Deputy Speaker despite the opposition parties repeated demand for election of Deputy Speaker.
How can seniors Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah-three National BJP Presidents and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in any way justify Lok Sabha without a Deputy Speaker for almost seven years. The stopgap Chairpersons all from BJP were deputed to preside over to deal with No-trust Motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, what a strange impartial way never ever seen in the more than seven decades long annals of Parliamentary Democracy? Can they still claim BJP to be a party with a difference and biggest party of world?
The Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi while taking part in the debate on motion even raised fingers at Mr.Jagdambika Pal’s act of occupying the chair on genuine constitutional grounds, as the panel is not impartial one formed by Om Birla against whom no trust motion had been moved. The BJP and Birla are all cheerful to find the motion being defeated. Birla should have gracefully resigned after motion falling but now going for him will be more Herculean and very disgraceful. The cup of misery is not full yet for BJP because as many as193 MPs did move impeachment motion too against the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
PM Modi did take an oath of office and secrecy as MP and PM thrice but it does not behove him to violate its solemnity quite blatantly escaping Parliament by dint of putting forth his views on matters of national and international importance at platforms out of Parliament. Although many instances can be cited yet in the recent past two deserve our merit and rapt attention. He did not turn up in the House of People to reply on the motion of thanks pertaining to the President’s address being scared of some fair sex Congress MPs on advice given by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Then secondly, he skipped Lok Sabha when Opposition moved No Trust Motion was debated in Lok Sabha against Om Birla but he did come to the rescue of Speaker Om Birla in Kota not on the floor of house. By abstaining from Lok Sabha on these two important occasions, he did prove Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi very true who had very confidently made it clear that Modi would not come to the house. Both these two incidents do not add to any grace to the PM’s coveted Office as well as parliamentary democracy in the letter and spirit thus speaking volumes of his misplaced, miscued and ill-timed pre-eminences.
Because of his too much penchant for addressing election rallies, inauguration and foundation stone laying sprees aimed at headlines management in abundance, Modi too often fails to devote enough needed time and energies on due application of mind on planning and then execution of those policies, plans and programmes meant for taking India on to the path of progress, advancement and prosperity swiftly. Demonetisation, National Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2014, Erratic GST, Three Contentious Famers Bills, Worst Handling Of Covid Calamity, Pulwama Suicide Bomb Attack and Terrorist Killings in Pehalgam did leave much to be desired in terms of deft management .Routine an affair with PM to evade all party meetings on crucial occasions like even before and after Operation Sindoor following terrorist attack in Pehalgam April last year though the opposition parties did offer his regime their timely unconditional support.
Amazing it is that there is no room for collective wisdom, expertise, fair play, objectivity and consensus in his scheme of things but “My Way High Way and “King Can Do No Wrong” instincts reign supreme tending to learn no lessons from the blunders and blemishes of the past for a future course correction. His act of doing away with the democratic-constitutional autonomous institutions or subverting and undermining that spree continues unabated crippling the nation’s polity.
India’s geo- politics in light of fiercely warring nations ought to strive in every possible way to ensure the peaceful co-existence of world hence “We the people of India……” must realise and know our valued importance at international scene how to contribute creatively as well as constructively in the turbulent and wars shattered a world. Sans an iota of doubt, united India stands but divided it falls should all the time be our watchword.
With a lot of vigil, agility smartness and caution we should leave no stone unturned to impress upon agonising globe to shun the path of violence, disaster, devastation and destruction reading in between the lines the guiles, moves, antics,ploys and gimmicks of international leaders to shield freely and dauntlessly first of all the interests of our country, ultimately harmonious a world order.
Needless to say, US President Donald Trump has been treating our nation and leadership very shabbily making both dance to his tunes be it- imposition of tariff, unequal trade deal putting bars on purchase of crude oil from Russia and recently granting thirty day’s nod to India to buy Russian oil in light of America Israel Iran conflict then Russia too in lieu withdrawing oil price deal concessions and discounts.
PM Modi’s visit to Israel a few days before America, Israel-Iran tug of war added much to the nation’s manifold problems and woes in form of Oil, LPG and in the long run Economy nose diving grave crisis, inviting ire of Iran too, but on the contrary in Kerala on March 11 Modi called upon masses not to believe the rumours, misinformation spread by opposition parties as if all was well in the country. The halting of ships by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and the Foreign Minister Jai Shankar’s repeated phone calls to Iran Foreign Minister tell different a tale. In wake of his friendships with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu very naturally in this context now famous dictum haunts “A wise enemy is far far better than a foolish friend.” India did recently add to its abrupt international alienation woes too when it committed the folly of betraying its two long time trusted and reliable friends Russia and Iran to face the music of grim fuel crisis looming large over our nation.
One really fails to comprehend why should Trump and Netanyahu treat Modi as “a robot”(the way Galgotia University used China discovered robot to woo excellence at the Artificial Intelligence Global Meet in Delhi) using him the way they like to grind their nation’s vested interests to exhibit their own upmanship? Why should the top BJP leadership and two crutches Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar of Modi led NDA Rule take the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that PM Modi is “psychologically finished and compromised “at Samvidhan Sammelan in Lucknow very lightly and casually? He should be taken quite seriously if he says so that too publicly!
Right and ripe time indeed for deep an introspection on the part of all political outfits, civil society, social media and entire polity of the nation in particular to get their acts together rising to occasion to save the nation from impending dangers, disasters galore and safeguard the hard fought-earned sovereignty and integrity of India before it is too late !
The traumatic plight in which our nation and the entire world finds itself mired at present ironically reminds us of an eminent English poet Alexander Pope’s universal a line,”Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
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Contributed by :Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist Associate Professor of English(Retired),
Pom Anm Nest, BARNALA(Punjab) e-mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 94170-02504