00:00Parliament witnessed unprecedented scenes this week with over 140 members of parliament
00:09from opposition parties being suspended from both houses.
00:13This is because they were protesting demanding that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement
00:17about the recent security breach in the Lok Sabha.
00:20Instead, they were suspended from the house and the Home Minister refused to make a statement
00:25on the same.
00:26Now, what this reflects in one instance is gross abuse of parliamentary power.
00:32These MPs did not deserve to be suspended from the house for demanding a statement from
00:37the Home Minister, even if they were protesting.
00:40Protest is also a part of democracy and democratic processes.
00:44It also reflects how parliament as an institution has steadily eroded over the last few years
00:49with fewer discussions and debates on bills, fewer scrutiny of bills that are sent to standing
00:54committees and in general, parliament sessions themselves have become much shorter.
00:59The discourse politically between the government and the opposition has also become far more
01:04bitter.
01:05And what actually made things even worse this week was the fact that parliament passed some
01:10crucial bills without the opposition present in the house, including a new criminal code
01:15law which has far-reaching implications for the entire country.
01:19At the end of the day, parliament as an institution has been undermined and we have to deflect
01:25whether it is still the temple of democracy.
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