Disruptions, walkouts, hunger strikes do not augur well for robust parliamentary democracy like India, says Chief Election Commissioner

New Delhi [India], March 26 : Frequent disruptions, walkouts, hunger strikes do not augur well for a robust parliamentary democracy like ours, said Chief Election Commissioner of India Sushil Chandra on Saturday, while addressing Sansad Ratna Award function organized by the Prime Point Foundation.
Chandra said, "Heated arguments, debates and speeches are a barometer of a robust parliament, while frequent disruptions, walkouts, hunger strikes do not augur well for a robust parliamentary democracy like ours. Time lost due to disruptions has seen a dramatic increase over the years with some sessions being a complete washout."
Chandra said, "Participation in the parliament, raising matters of critical importance by virtue of the Question Hour and Zero Hour are established parliamentary practices and this is the only way the people can get their voice heard and also make the government accountable. This precious opportunity should not be wasted by theatrics or slogan shouting or rushing to the well of the House."
Highlighting the role of standing committees, the Chief Election Commissioner said that standing committees form an integral part of parliament's role in the debate. They discuss laws and policies by analyzing them in-depth, he said. Additionally, Standing Committees provide a platform for Members of Parliament (MP) to track government expenditure, scrutinize policies and bills and seek expert advice. Due to the untelevised nature of committee meetings, they are also used as a forum for consensus-building among parties for controversial issues or contentious pieces of legislation.
He said, "Having worked in the government for close to 40 years, I have had multiple opportunities to interact with esteemed members of various standing committees. Members bring a wealth of experience and inputs from the ground to these committees. Several laws which are obsolete are repealed while others amended suitably by incorporating the suggestions of the standing committees."
"However, dwindling attendance in these committees is a cause of concern and MPs must attend these committee meetings in a spirited and non-partisan manner. I am very glad that the Sansad Ratna Awards have a special category for the committees as they do a lot of hard work which is silent, painstaking and largely goes unnoticed," said Chandra pointing out the dwindling attendance in standing committees.
Chandra also highlighted the need for women's participation in the Parliament. He stated that as per data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, for the first time, in the year 2021 the global average for women in parliament exceeded 25 per cent. The progress is painstakingly slow and at this rate, it will take more than 50 years to achieve gender parity.
Chandra said, "In India, the first Lok Sabha had 15 women MPs. The 17th Lok Sabha has 78 women MPs. The participation of women in our Parliament is much less than desired. In local Bodies, the Constitution guarantees one-third reservation for women. It is heartening to note that so many grass-root women leaders have demonstrated their leadership and brought about a visible change in their communities."
During the award function Chief Election Commissioner conferred Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Lifetime Achievement to Congress leader M Veerappa Moily and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr HV Hande.
MPs who were conferred with Sansad Ratna Awards 2022 were Jayant Sinha, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Dr Heena Vijayakumar Gavit, Sudhir Gupta, Amar Patnaik, Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan, KK Nagesh, PC Gaddi, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, NK Premchandran and Shrirang Appa Barne.