The government may proceed against criminals who managed to creep into the youth’s protest and indulged in criminal activities but that does not offer the police an excuse to beat up protesting students, many of them teenagers. The Union government and the home minister are responsible for the conduct of the Delhi police; they own an explanation to the country on the doings of the cops under them
The continued disruption of parliamentary proceedings that has translated into passage of bills with no debate in the Monsoon Session presents a no-win situation not only for the Opposition and the government but, more importantly, for the country as a whole. It is incumbent upon the government and the Opposition to jointly find a solution to the logjam so that Parliament can resume its jobs, lawmaking and parliamentary oversight, in order to give meaning to accountability, the term that is the flavour of the season.
The government made a move to end the impasse when parliamentary affairs minister Kiran Rijiju met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi but the discussions do not appear to have borne fruit. Mr Gandhi has reiterated the Opposition position that the Union home minister must explain to Parliament the events at Jantar Mantar in relation to the protests led by Cockroach Janta Party demanding the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan following a series of lapses in the conduct of Neet, CBSE and CUET.
There is no doubt in the minds of the right-thinking people that police brutality was out on display against the youth who were legitimately raising a matter of utmost concern to them. The government may proceed against criminals who managed to creep into the youth’s protest and indulged in criminal activities but that does not offer the police an excuse to beat up protesting students, many of them teenagers. The Union government and the home minister are responsible for the conduct of the Delhi police; they own an explanation to the country on the doings of the cops under them.
The Opposition has a point, too, when it demands that the government explain the theft of offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The government constituted the trust that manages the temple on the orders of the Supreme Court of India, and hence is responsible to the people on the acts of omissions and commissions attributed to the trust. True, investigations are on and no wrongdoing against the trust has yet been found out but many individuals are suspects, its senior office-bearers having quit on their own. The legal process may take its course but the government does not have the luxury to remain silent; it needs to share updates with the people.
On its part, the Opposition must realise that it has primarily been sent to Parliament for carrying out the all-important business of lawmaking and parliamentary oversight. It must be careful as to not create a situation wherein bills are passed without discussion. Given the nature of the governments in the country in the past and in the present, it may not be repentant about a lack of presence, but the end result points to a good deal of irresponsibility.
The government carries a larger share of the responsibility. It needs to ensure that Parliament functions because the people have entrusted them with that task. It must offer a workable solution to the Opposition which should accept it and go back to the House. Parliament must be allowed to function, issues must be debated and laws must be discussed. That’s the least the people expect in a democracy.
