By IANS
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Monday there was a discernible “change of attitude and approach” among political parties that were now ready to paralyse parliament frequently instead of debating differences on the floor of the house.
“Earlier, differences were aired through arguments and articulations. Now it is done by paralysing or obstructing (the proceedings),” he told reporters, pointing out that MPs would use “zero hour” to raise their differences and concerns.
His remarks came on the day both houses of parliament were adjourned sine die, four days ahead of the schedule after the opposition continued to disrupt the proceedings demanding a joint parliamentary committee over India-US nuclear deal. Monsoon session was the third consecutive session that witnessed early adjournment due to disruptions.
“The house used to be stalled on very rare occasions but we used to find a way out within one or two days. The introduction of ministers (by the prime minister), the finance bill, budget speech, question hour and the prime minister’s speech were never interrupted,” Mukherjee, who has been a parliamentarian for more than three decades, said.
However, Mukherjee, who is Leader of the Lok Sabha, remained optimistic. “The system has its own way of self-correction. I am optimistic that self corrective ways will be evolved.”
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, expressing his despair over the functioning of political parties, called the frequent disruptions a “disease” and questioned the very “utility” of the form of parliamentary democracy practised in India.