The winter session of Parliament began on 25th November, with key bills slated to be discussed. However, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have cumulatively functioned for merely 2 hours, with daily disruptions and sloganeering resulting in adjournments. In these two hours, Lok Sabha has spent less than 20 minutes on ‘Questions’, while the Rajya Sabha has spent 0 minutes on ‘Questions’. Out of 120 minutes of functioning, it is clear that neither House has managed to hold a discussion on any of the pressing matters that were slated to be discussed.
Have the taxpayers just spent Rs. 3 crores for our elected lawmakers to raise slogans and disrupt the Parliament? It seems so.
Several opposition leaders today talk about the rising income inequality in India, that India’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of few while the rest are unable to change their fortunes. To those leaders I say – every minute of disrupting the Parliament costs at least Rs. 2.5 lakh to the Indian taxpayer. That’s more than the average annual income of India’s poorest households. Every minute you waste could change the fortunes of those you’ve reduced to mere political tools that make for a great speech. Let this serve as a bitter wakeup-call.
Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma has written, ‘People are more concerned with grandstanding and political one-upmanship than with discharging the solemn responsibilities of their office..Upon my election to the Rajya Sabha in 2022, I saw the parliamentary disruptions becoming a norm, and the constitutional obligations of the members taking a backseat. ’
READ MORE: Let The House Be In Order
In a democracy, political parties get ample opportunity to win the popular vote, the ultimate political one-upmanship. But once elected, why do lawmakers waste the taxpayers’ money by disrupting legislative work? Parliamentary disruptions as a norm not only indicate that the sanctity of parliamentary processes is declining, but a clear disrespect for the taxpayers money.
During the Monsoon Session, which started on July 20, proceedings were adjourned without any work on the very first day due to opposition protests over the situation in Manipur.
The Budget Session, which was held in two parts from January 31 to April 6 and from February 14 to March 12, was also largely unproductive as opposition parties blocked the work, recording the lowest productivity for a budget session in five years.
Would our lawmakers take the minutes granted to them, to discuss policies and pass laws for public benefit, so lightly if they had to bear the cost of the running the Parliament?
Our Parliament Isn’t Cheap to Run
The financial impact of these disruptions is substantial. Each year, Parliament conducts three sessions: the Budget session (February to May), the Monsoon session (July to September), and the Winter session (November to December). On average, the Parliament functions for about 100 days annually, with each session running for approximately six hours per day. Reports from 2016 indicated that disruptions led to 90 hours of lost time, resulting in a loss of Rs. 144 crore (including Rs. 138 crore for running the session and Rs. 6 crore in salaries and allowances).
Further, the cost per minute of operating the Parliament was estimated to be Rs. 2.5 lakh during 2012, when disruptions were highlighted during a controversy over coal block allocations. Adjusted for inflation, this cost would now be even higher.
No Work And Still Paid?
Like most of us, our lawmakers also draw a salary. As per latest reports, the base pay for an MP is Rs 1,00,000 per month. MPs receive a constituency allowance of Rs. 70,000, an office allowance of Rs. 60,000, and a daily allowance of Rs 2,000 during Parliamentary sessions. That’s over Rs. 2,30,000 a month in just salaries and allowances. Additionally, MPs get Rs 1.5 lakh a year for phone and internet usage, 34 free domestic flights per year for themselves and their families, and first class train travel at any time for professional and personal use. They can claim a mileage allowance for road travel.
This entire budget comes out of the taxpayers pocket. Beyond the monetary benefits, our members of parliament are provided housing for their five-year term in posh neighbourhoods. They’re also eligible for 50,000 free units of electricity and 4,000 kilolitres of water annually. Those who don’t utilise official housing can get Rs. 2,00,000 as a monthly housing allowance.
Imagine a private sector employee getting the salaries and perks mentioned above, they’d certainly have to justify their role. Failure to do so would invite scrutiny and penalty, maybe even termination of duties.
One may argue that our lawmakers can’t be compared to corporate employees with goals & deliverables. MPs are expected to challenge, debate and discuss government policies and decisions which shape India’s growth story. That this job can’t come with the pressures of corporate employment; but shouldn’t it come with a semblance of accountability? When did we allow our lawmakers, elected to mould India’s development & future, to evade accountability or penalty for their actions.
In December 2016, Baijayant Jay Panda, a Member of Parliament, declared that he would return his salary “proportional to time wasted/lost” during the Winter Session, which had turned out to be the least productive among 10 sessions since 2014. Perhaps a similar penalty is the need of the hour.
Disruptions Must be the Exception, Not Norm
Recent elections in America witnessed conversations around government expenditures and over-all efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump has announced the formation of a Department of Government Efficiency under two corporate honchos – Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. They’re tasked with scrutinising federal government spending, expected to cut $2 trillion in ‘wasteful’ spending. While time will tell what the D.O.G.E will achieve, the intention to cut back on wasteful expenditures undertaken by hard-working tax payers is worth appreciating.
Maybe India and it’s lawmakers need to take a cue from America. Doesn’t the disruption of Parliament to the point of zero-function amount to wasteful expenditure?
We need clear mechanisms for holding our MPs accountable for every penny that is spent to keep both the Houses running. Lawmakers need to be reminded that their duty is to the nation and the public, not political agendas. The Parliament witnessed negligible interruptions in the first two Lok Sabhas (1952-62). Are we to assume elected representatives of newly independent India had more important discussions to hold than we do today? If anything, the role of the Parliament in a democracy is ever-increasing and ever-evolving.
The responsibility of making India a global super-power lies equally with the people of the nation and their elected representatives. The fervour with which politicians campaign for votes before an election ought to be maintained, if not increased, when they’re chosen to be the voice of the people in the Parliament.
This is not the say that all hope is lost. The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019 was notable for its productivity, with the Lok Sabha working for 281 hours, which was 135 percent of the scheduled time. But what will it take for this example to be the norm, and not the exception? The lawmakers must introspect and answer.
(Devika Chopra is a Senior News Editor at NewsX.)
