New Delhi: Concerned over frequent
disruptions of Parliament, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
on Thursday blamed a "little impatient" BJP for creating ruckus,
contending the image of the country is not affected by
corruption alone, but also by how parties behave in a
democracy.
Remarking that the principal opposition was getting a
"little impatient", he told the Rajya Sabha that parliamentary
democracy is essentially on how political parties behave, act
and react.
"Therefore, if the image of the country has been affected,
do not think merely corruption... Yes, it is one of the
reasons, but if the sovereign Legislature cannot function,
fails to discharge its responsibility of debating, discussing,
even a new practice of disruption is developed, don`t you
think that it affects?" he posed.
Mukherjee, who is also leader of the Lok Sabha and the
government`s chief trouble shooter in Parliament said that he
was "noticing the principal Opposition party becoming a little
impatient".
"That is why, it (BJP) is saying to us, "Go! You will be
thrown out!" So what? In the Parliamentary democracy, the rate
of mortality is always high. Therefore, it is in the very
nature of the democracy that the people have an option of
bringing in a change," he added.
After three elections in 1996, 1998 and 1999, he said
frequent elections could be avoided not by any law, but
because of the behaviour of the political parties.
"We are the actors. How we act, how we behave,
parliamentary democracy is essentially dependent on it," he
said.
Mukherjee admitted that in the 13th Lok Sabha, when
Congress was in opposition "we did not do any good job, but
that does not mean you will exactly follow the same because
you claim yourselves you are a different party, you are
different from others."
The remarks of Mukherjee came a day after Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass reviewed the
situation in Parliament following frequent logjams.
Since Monsoon session began on August 1, the Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha could work only on half of the working days as the
proceedings were affected by opposition uproar on one issue or
another.
Government managers are worried as there are over 30
official bills that need to be passed, including key economic
legislations.
PTI
