Nearly a week after a record number of MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha, the central government tabled, and passed three crucial bills in the lower house. The ruling party and those in power may have legalities to list down when asked about the record suspensions. But, there are no logical and valid answers to the question that the lack of debate over the bills tabled in a democratic country.
A refresher course is, perhaps, required to understand the need for opposition in the legislative house. The ruling party may not feel awkward if the lesson comes from the public life of one of their own legendary leaders, late Sri Atal Bihari Bajpayee.
Having served as a member of Parliament from the opposition for many years, Sri Bajpayee was also known as an expert of opposition. Right from the 50s, to 1996, when he became the Prime Minister of India, Sri Bajpayee lived by the motto of politics of dissent. He respected his opponents and always put forward his disagreements with much reverence to constitutional bodies.
Passing crucial laws changing the entire way criminal justice works in the country without as much of a single question or debating the pros and cons undermines the importance of the legislative house altogether. The step may not be questioned right away, given the wave of emotions with the ruling party. It will, nonetheless, be one of the darkest blots in the history of the BJP-led majority government at the centre.