Gyaneshwar Dayal
The Indian Parliament — Samvidhan Sadan to Sansad Bhawan — is the first and much-awaited book after the construction of the new Parliament building. Published by LexisNexis, the book sets out the great many procedural and policy changes in the Indian parliamentary landscape, apart from showcasing the hoary republican heritage of India and the powers, functions, and procedures of the Indian Parliament. A compendium of intimately connected and allied scholarly essays, it sets out the historical background of the introduction of a separate Rail Budget in 1925 and its eventual merger with the Annual Budget in 2017 and the presentation of a single consolidated Budget to Parliament in terms of Article 112 of the Constitution.
The book comprises full-fledged chapters on the great republican heritage of India beginning from the Vedic times; the evolution, framing, and the working of the Constitution of India; powers and functions of Parliament; legislative and budgetary processes; devices of accountability including Questions; Committee system and how it works; legislature-judiciary interface; role of political parties and opposition in a democracy; elections and electoral systems obtaining in the world and their relative merits and demerits; role of C&AG as supreme audit institution of the country; democratic disquiet and the future of democracy and allied aspects of parliamentary democracy not to be found in a single book elsewhere. The chief merit of the book is that it’s not only a fine blend of constitutional precepts, parliamentary practices as obtaining but it also documents the systemic flaws and failings and throws open questions for wider and deeper reflections on how to safeguard and strengthen our democracy.
The chapter on the Making of the Constitution is so refreshing as it quotes the founding fathers from the Constituent Assembly, bringing out tellingly the views and voices of the founding fathers as though one is seated in the gallery of the Constituent Assembly. The chapters on the budgetary process, on parliamentary questions, and on various devices that allow members to raise issues are particularly noteworthy.
Mr Singh brings out the finer nuances of the working of Indian Parliament, the duties of its functionaries, its interface with other constitutional bodies and the Fourth Estate, and the role they can play in strengthening our democratic edifice. The author describes the intricacies of democratic institutions, the dynamics of parliamentary Government, the public perception of Parliament, the intermittent democratic disquiet, and the future of democracy itself.
The book contains far-reaching suggestive measures and underscores the dire need for Parliament to innovate and change drastically the format of debate from the repetitive rambling speeches to better articulate the aspirations of the people and to redress their problems.
The author makes a well-considered suggestion for the introduction of PM’s Question Hour (PMQ) once a week, which will “act as a safety valve, allow members to raise issues of urgent public concern and allow the Prime Minister to explain Government policies and counter criticism”. Besides, the introduction of PMQ will soothe the ruffled feathers and pacify the irate tempers and preempt the tendency to frequently disturb or rock proceedings. The author makes out a case for drastic procedural innovations so that Parliament has a more contemporary look and emerges as an effective forum of debate and accountability. The case for Parliamentary reforms is “exceptional so as to guard against putrefaction and decay”.
Another remarkable aspect of the book is that the author captures in his lucid, highly readable text, traversing history, procedure, precedents, methods, and even anecdotal accounts, giving the reader an excellent up-to-date reference manual on what Parliament stands for, and how it functions. One who has had a ring-side view of the working of Parliament for almost four decades, the author expresses deep worry over the general fall and decline in parliamentary ethos and suggests radical innovative measures to make Parliament the supreme institution of accountability.
One could not agree more that “Parliament is not a mere structure of bricks and mortar, but the supreme representative, deliberative and legislative institution of the nation.” Parliament can perform its multifarious functions if Parliament meets regularly and holds informed and well-structured discussions with a view to securing accountability of the executive. The founding fathers of our republic preferred accountability of the executive to the legislature over stability of the executive. Government may fall or perish but as long as it holds the reins of power, Government must remain accountable. Accountability is about instilling or reinforcing an ethos of legal compliance and efficient practices tempered by the consideration of fostering a sense of responsibility, transparency, and good governance, which is at the heart of Parliamentary oversight and scrutiny. The author fondly hopes that the new Sansad Bhavan would become the sanctum sanctorum of our democracy if there are well-structured discussions, regular periodic meetings at least for a hundred days in a year, and if new innovative procedural measures like the introduction of PM’s Question Time and other radical measures are introduced.
A functionally robust Parliament can secure accountability and good governance. This thematic range of the book is expansive yet coherent. The book maintains structural symmetry and analytical continuity throughout, making it a powerful reference manual as well as a critical scholarly text. The deep concern over declining parliamentary ethos is sharply insightful.
The concern is not merely nostalgic but a call for redemptive action. The deteriorating quality of debate, disruptions of Question Hour, and the growing friction between Members and Presiding Officers are all symptoms of a deeper malaise, which must be arrested erelong. The critique is balanced by optimism — a belief that procedural reforms, technological integration, and a reinvigorated political culture can, and must, reclaim the exalted image of Parliament as the axis of our parliamentary democratic system.
Comprehensive Insight
Written in a perspicuous yet elevated academic style, the book is both informative and pedagogically sound. The author’s meticulous understanding of this complex institution with a succinct and exact writing style, “leaves very little unsaid without succumbing to verbosity or a daunting excess of pages.” The book will serve as a ready textbook not only to students, academia, journalists and legislators but also to the passionate champions of Parliamentary democracy who wish to sharpen their own argument skills and enhance their knowledge of democratic governance.
About the Book
Book: The Indian Parliament
Author: Devender Singh
Publisher: LexisNexis
Price: Rs 956/-
