HONOURABLE MEMBERS. THE NATION IS WATCHING

Another week has gone by, and the impression has been gaining ground within the public that several of the Honourable Members of Parliament prefer to speak outside the House rather than in the august precincts of the two chambers.

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The two chambers of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, are at the centre of the edifice of parliamentary democracy. By far the most powerful post in India, and increasingly becoming among the most powerful in the world, is that of Prime Minister, and the individual chosen for this honour is done so by the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament. To this day, several individuals of exceptional talent serve as Members of Parliament, and what the people of India expect from them is a scintillating fare of point and counterpoint, and ideally a situation in which a broad consensus gets reached on beneficial policies. Honourable Members need to ask themselves if such an expectation by citizens of India is being met by them or not. In a country where many follow the example of their elders, and in a way, MPs serve as the Elders of the nation, no matter what their individual ages may be, the example set by Honourable Members will have far-reaching repercussions on the rest of society. History cannot be altered by histrionics. Much of the attention of Honourable Members during the week was on Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who overcame impossible odds to emerge among the foremost jurists and political leaders of post-1947 India. How Dr Ambedkar was treated by some of his political peers is a matter of public record. It was no secret that some Congress leaders disliked him, a feeling that in several cases was mutual. Seen from the perspective of the present