BJP should set precedence of good conduct in Lok Sabha

Brute majority could always lead to brute force. The BJP which has come to power for a second time with its allies with more than enough majority to operate independent of any party is gearing up to implement its agenda in a slow and steady fashion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to the leaders of all parties inviting them for a meeting on key issues like 'One Country-One Election, Nav Bharat Nirman, celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th anniversary, development of backward districts' etc is a step in this direction.

It is obvious that there would be no objection to the celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th anniversary celebrations and also on the subject of backward districts development. Modi extended the invite to the leaders at the all-party meet he chaired a day ahead of the Parliament session.

Important among the issues mentioned by him was improving the quality of debates in Parliament. This one is all about politics where decency or decorum have no place.

Our Parliament members nowadays just tow the party line come what may and the bitterness of the street reality keeps getting reflected in the House.

Every leader would agree to the proposal as far this one is concerned but would rarely advise his MPs' to stick to it. So, improving the quality of debates is better said than done.

Coming to the other points raised by Narendra Modi, the most contentious issue would be that of BJP's proposal to go for 'One Nation, One Election". The good and the bad apart of the proposal if implemented, again as mentioned earlier, politics takes precedence and no State ruled by the non-BJP party or its non-ally would agree to the same.

Take for example the case of Telangana which had gone for early Assembly elections so that the national issues would not have any bearing on the State politics.

If only Telangana were to go to the Assembly along with the general elections, everyone knows what would have been its fate in the humdrum and euphoria of the nationalistic fervour that Modi could whip up. Even if the TRS were to come to power, it would have barely managed to come back to power.

Noting that there are many new faces in this Lok Sabha, Modi said the first session of the Lower House of Parliament should begin with "fresh zeal and new thinking."

Addressing the media after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said the Prime Minister urged leaders of all parties to "introspect whether members of Parliament are able to fulfil people's aspirations as their representatives and the manner in which last two years of the 16th Lok Sabha were wasted".

But all this depends on the manner in which the ruling party conducts itself. If it wants to ignore the Opposition's protestations or points of order, it would not be possible for the House members to raise the bar.

It is wrong to presume that only the BJP is nationalistic, and all others are anti-national for expressing a diverse view. This should be borne in the mind of the ruling party to conduct the House smooth.