By IANS,
New Delhi : A fractured polity is one of the main reasons behind the continuous disruption of parliament proceedings, believes Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
“No national issues are discussed seriously in the house,” Chatterjee said at a roundtable conference on “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy” here Saturday.
The speaker said the presence of 37 parties and the reflection of their interests in the house created disruptions most of the time.
The top leaders of these regional parties are not members of parliament, and are sitting somewhere else and controlling the house proceedings, said civil society leaders who participated in the discussion.
Former UN diplomat and author Shashi Tharoor, IT czar N.R. Narayana Murthy, and former Supreme Court chief justice A.M. Ahmadi were among those present.
They suggested measures like training sessions for parliamentarians and slashing of the allowances of members who disrupt house proceedings.
“We do need to create a training school for parliamentarians. The newly elected members will have to pass the training course before entering the house,” Narayana Murthy suggested.
Concluding the discussion, Chatterjee said there was something wrong with the functioning of the present day parliament. “Something has to be done to correct it. Those who are really committed to the nation…they have to come forward,” the speaker said.
“Who will do it? How will it be done? Our youths are so talented… They can compete with any one in the world…They have to come forward,” Chatterjee said urging the young generation not to keep away from politics.