Recently the venerable Mr. Somnath Chatterjee the Lok Sabha Speaker decided to punish disorderly conduct by 32 MPs to the House privileges committee. A vast majority of the MPs belong to the NDA and after some days of protest, animated arguments the parties worked to a compromise, with the Speaker withdraws the motion. This is not a unique incident of Parliamentary disorder as can be observed by anyone following Indian politics.
However The Chindu as is whim decides to rap the NDA for its unproductive attitude and gives a sermon on conduct. The article can be read here,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050755111000.htm
At the outset, let me declare that I'm in no way saying that the actions of the NDA members was correct or that their behavior was becoming of a Parliamentary member.
The same attitude is seen at any legislature from the Lok Sabha to any state legislature assembly. When the assemblies were created, the founders laid rules on elections, processes and functioning but not very specific rules on who should be elected. Hence the overall population of the various assemblies is filled with undereducated, uneducated people often with criminal records. Ergo the behaviour of such people.
Somnath himself is no stranger to these acts, having been a leader of the Communists in filibustering through sessions and in 1989 was suspended for misbehavior. (Refer to Indian Express for more details).
He has been more considerate of his party members during their various antics when as a Speaker he should have been impartial.
All this is not discussed in the Chindu which conveniently ignores the facts that the Communists have lead such acts over the last 20 years and decides to wave the finger at one party alone when all the others were equally to blame for such a condition. It decides to sermonize with statements like,
And like this one,
Is asking for fairness in treatment a bit too much?
However The Chindu as is whim decides to rap the NDA for its unproductive attitude and gives a sermon on conduct. The article can be read here,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050755111000.htm
At the outset, let me declare that I'm in no way saying that the actions of the NDA members was correct or that their behavior was becoming of a Parliamentary member.
The same attitude is seen at any legislature from the Lok Sabha to any state legislature assembly. When the assemblies were created, the founders laid rules on elections, processes and functioning but not very specific rules on who should be elected. Hence the overall population of the various assemblies is filled with undereducated, uneducated people often with criminal records. Ergo the behaviour of such people.
Somnath himself is no stranger to these acts, having been a leader of the Communists in filibustering through sessions and in 1989 was suspended for misbehavior. (Refer to Indian Express for more details).
He has been more considerate of his party members during their various antics when as a Speaker he should have been impartial.
All this is not discussed in the Chindu which conveniently ignores the facts that the Communists have lead such acts over the last 20 years and decides to wave the finger at one party alone when all the others were equally to blame for such a condition. It decides to sermonize with statements like,
Members of the BJP, usually the noisiest as well as the most disruptive — 22 BJP MP's were hauled up in the latest case — sat with their fingers on their lips in a signal of defiance against a presiding officer who had dared to discipline them.
And like this one,
What is the value of a promise made to a presiding officer whom the BJP MP's have disobeyed and insulted in the past, never missing a chance to accuse him of bias and on occasion even calling him a dictator?
Is asking for fairness in treatment a bit too much?
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