Enough entertainment in Parliament and legislative assembly sessions

Chaotic house

If you are bored by the ubiquitous, scripted reality shows, don’t be disheartened. Our dear leaders can provide you much more -- and real -- masala. Truly, watching Parliament and Legislative assembly proceedings is now becoming a new mode of entertainment.

It’s hard to digest that these are the elected representatives who reached sacred institutions that symbolise Indian democracy with people’s trust and hope.

A glimpse at any proceeding and the first word that comes to mind is CHAOS. Almost everybody is seen shouting and screaming at the same time, vociferously trying to make their own points as nobody seems to be interested in highlighting real issues.

In reality shows where people are packed in a house for months, one expects to see the inmates plotting and planning, and even fighting, each other for publicity. But when the same is repeated in a house of people, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and our heads hanging in shame.

The snatcher on the street or the robber lurking in the alley use knives to make their kill but here we see some MP feeling the need to take a knife to the House to demonstrate his power -- a stark reminder of the dark and lawless ages.

We have rights groups and NGOs advocating pepper spray to make women feel safer on the street, but here we see our leaders use it in Parliament with impunity to make a point.

When there is nothing in their bags, they go shirtless to be more visible.

And each time they go to the extent of coming to blows and using chairs and tables as their weapons, they stoop to a new low.

If we have the action men, there are some lazy bones who go to the house only to sleep or take a power nap. Only to be exposed when their colleague in front of them is on the mike or the camera pans on them. We cannot blame them as most politicians in our country are in their post-retirement phase.

The role of the speaker is really tough, trying desperately to bring order in the house. One cannot help but feel pity for the speaker who tries to control the class like a principal. The only difference: the class listens to the principal but our netas do not.

Cannot stop quoting Rishang Keishing, the 94-year-old MP from Manipur, the oldest serving parliamentarian in the world, who said on his last day while making a quiet exit: “Parliament now is not what it used to be. It’s only shouting and shouting.”