While President Pranab Mukherjee has given both the ruling party and the Opposition food for thought by cautioning them against frequently stalling Parliament and taking recourse to the ordinance route, he could have worded his observation to reflect this: “a noisy minority cannot be allowed to gag a patient majority” as “the majority must accede to the legitimate pleas of the minority where national interest is involved” (Editorial, Jan.22).
The Opposition’s legitimate insistence on the Prime Minister breaking his silence on ‘ghar vapsi’ is not to be seen as disruption of the Rajya Sabha. The government is to blame for creating a situation where legislative business cannot be carried out. The coming budget session should see a ‘working rapport’ between the government and the Opposition. The BJP that earlier obstructed Parliament on the issue of ‘corruption’ does not have the moral right to deny the same ‘privilege’ to the Opposition on the issue of ‘communalism’. It would be particularly interesting to watch how the government manages the ‘hallowed floor’ and how Hindutva groups ensure the ‘smooth running’ of Parliament.
G. David Milton,Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
