In his first interview after the monsoon session of Parliament was interrupted on September 23, Lok Sabha President Om Birla spoke with Saubhadra chatterji on the challenge of carrying out processes during the pandemic, the speed with which the bills were approved and the complaints of the Opposition of not holding debates on important issues. Edited excerpts:
Parliament sat for 10 days in a row amid the Covid pandemic. What message has the Chamber been able to convey to the country?
Parliament is a supreme organ of democracy. It has spread the message of democracy to all other institutions. Our MPs are elected by the largest number of voters and each MP represents the ambitions and aspirations of 10-15 lakh people, so we try to allow as much time as possible for MPs to express their views and raise their issues. The message has also been sent that we have tried to organize Parliament’s sessions to the fullest extent possible. There is room for debate, dissent or difference of opinion, but everything must happen while maintaining parliamentary decorum.
How difficult was it for you to lead the House in the context of the virus and amid growing political division?
It was very difficult. If the virus had spread rapidly and affected a large number of Members in Parliament, we would have had no choice but to shut down Parliament entirely. And it would have sent the wrong signal to the country. While running Parliament was our constitutional obligation, our responsibility was to ensure the highest level of security. So we tried to implement all the security guidelines. I think that overall we have been successful in running the session.
Our greatest success is that while the monsoon session lasted, we did not have to abruptly close it between sessions and there was also no atmosphere of fear. We shortened the session, but only after completing much of our business.
We saw a lot of new things in this session, like no weekend breaks, MPs from one House sitting in the other House.
I spoke extensively with the President of Rajya Sabha. We explored different options, we tested resources like other buildings, but finally we realized that we can hold the session in Parliament itself. It was the first time that MPs from Lok Sabha sat in Rajya Sabha and MPs from the Upper House came to Lok Sabha. This unprecedented system also led to some virtual elements as each House watched what the other House was doing.
Opposition parties expressed great concern that bills were rushed without the scrutiny of parliamentary committees.
The government’s job is to present bills and our responsibility is to ensure maximum debate on bills. We try to allocate time to debate each bill. When consensus doesn’t evolve on any issue, we try harder to develop consensus. But I can guarantee that, as far as Lok Sabha is concerned, the affairs of the House were decided on the basis of a broader consensus. All bills, including those replacing ordinances, were brought to the House on the basis of consensus.
It is true that some parties want the bills to be sent to House panels for review, while the government maintains that they have put the bill into the public domain for review. Both the government and the opposition have their individual points of view. My job is to oversee the debate that has been decided on the basis of consensus.
When it comes to debate, it is also a reality that many pressing issues such as the economy, the GST, the tribulations of migrant workers were not discussed in the House.
I want to assure people that I was willing to discuss all these issues in the House. The government was also ready. But there was a time limitation. There was also concern about the increase in Covid cases. So while the government was ready, we couldn’t discuss many issues. However, I must add that we discussed the most important topic of the Covid pandemic in this session. In the future, I will definitely try to get the top issues discussed in the House.
How was your own experience conducting this special session?
The Chamber cannot function without the cooperation of its members. In our multi-party system, our elected representatives have different political beliefs and ideologies. My responsibility is to protect parliamentarians regardless of their political affiliation. Indian democracy must remain a living democracy. If I see major differences on the issues, I try to build consensus and assess the mood of the House.
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