Our Lawmakers Must Remember Their Mandate

It's imperative for our MPs to remember their duties as the monsoon session begins

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

This column is dedicated to our honourable members of parliament, who have been sent to the hallowed halls of Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha by their doting voters. They deserve their title, but should always remember that Parliament is the common heritage of India's citizens and they are its custodians and nurturers. However, the moot point is, are they performing this most important duty of theirs?

It seems now that the bitterness of street politics has seeped into Parliament. The 17th Lok Sabha (the last one) worked for only 55 days—less than half the first Lok Sabha's 135 days. The 17th Lok Sabha was also in the news for another reason: A record 146 MPs (both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) were suspended for "various reasons". Further, five MPs, including leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra, were disqualified from Parliament.