The winter session of Parliament, which commenced on November 24, has seen an unprecedented stalemate, with proceedings disrupted for the fifth consecutive day. The impasse arises from a clash of priorities between the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition alliance, led by the Congress-backed INDIA bloc, along with other non-NDA parties. While the opposition demands debates on critical issues like the Adani bribery allegations, violence in Manipur, and the Sambhal unrest, the BJP coalition insists on adhering to a legislative agenda focused on passing 16 bills, including five for introduction and 11 for consideration and passage. Among the key legislative items is the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to curtail the powers of the Waqf Board. The bill, introduced during the Monsoon session, sparked significant uproar and was subsequently referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for scrutiny. Its reintroduction in the winter session has further heightened tensions, contributing to the ongoing deadlock. This persistent disruption of Parliament is more than a procedural inconvenience-it represents a failure of governance. Each day of adjournment costs the exchequer approximately Rs.15 crore, but the financial burden pales in comparison to the democratic cost of stalled deliberations. Parliamentary debates are central to addressing the nation\u2019s pressing concerns and holding the government accountable. Running Parliament is a fundamental responsibility of the ruling government. While opposition parties play a crucial role in raising issues and challenging decisions, the onus of ensuring smooth legislative functioning lies with the ruling coalition. The BJP-led NDA, which has held a commanding majority since its electoral victories in 2014 and 2019, now faces a diminished tally of 240 seats in the current Lok Sabha, down from 303 in the previous house. Despite this reduction, the BJP\u2019s approach often appears dismissive of the opposition, fostering a \u201cmy way or the highway\u201d culture. Parliament is the apex institution of democratic accountability. The government is collectively responsible to Parliament and must be answerable for its actions and policies. Opposition demands for discussions on issues of public importance-such as corruption allegations, regional violence, and governance failures-are legitimate and integral to the democratic process. The Constitution enshrines principles of dialogue, dissent, and accountability and therefore, refusing to engage in meaningful debate undermines its very spirit. The BJP\u2019s reluctance to accommodate opposition voices, while rhetorically extolling constitutional values, raises concerns about its commitment to democratic practices. A democracy thrives on dialogue and compromise, not unilateral decision-making. It is imperative for the opposition to unite in defense of constitutional freedoms, including the right to debate and deliberate. The cost of ignoring these foundational principles far exceeds the monetary loss of Rs.15 crore per day; it erodes the very fabric of democratic governance. If the current impasse continues, the nation risks paying an incalculable price in terms of diminished trust in its democratic institutions. This contradicts with the BJP\u2019s agenda for one nation one election or its willingness to have discussion on Constitution. A functional Parliament is essential to addressing the nation\u2019s challenges. Both the government and the opposition must prioritize the greater good over partisan interests to ensure that democracy remains vibrant and accountable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The winter session of Parliament, which commenced on November 24, has seen an unprecedented stalemate, with proceedings disrupted for the fifth consecutive day. The impasse arises from a clash of priorities between the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition alliance, led by the Congress-backed INDIA bloc, along with other non-NDA parties. While the opposition demands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-460067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-editorial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460067\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}