Individual Parliamentarian’s role as the national lawmaker is on a decline, which in turn, has adversely impacted the quality of debates and their outcome. Discuss.

Parliament is considered as a temple of Democracy where elected representatives involves in debates & deliberations regarding governance. It is considered as the highest platform for holding the executive accountable for their actions. However, of late this great institution has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons such as the devaluation of parliamentary authority, falling standards of debates, deterioration in the conduct and quality of Members, poor levels of participation etc. This has led to a certain cynicism towards parliamentary institutions and an erosion in the credibility of parliamentarians and parliamentary processes.

1.Absenteeism: The problem of absenteeism in the houses has increased in proportion to an increase in the indifference of Politicians towards public issues.
2.Party politics and the politics of survival are also responsible for declining standards.
3.Increasing Role of Money Power and Muscle Power – in elections has resulted in downgrading of parliamentary ethics. ADR reports that 34% of the MPs in the 2014 Lok Sabha faced criminal charges, as compared with 30% in 2009 and 24% in 2004. This results in unparliamentary behavior.
4.Frequent disruption and logjams: Moreover, disrupting parliamentary activity through walkouts, the staging of dharnas and gheraos of ministers without reasonable cause are also indicating towards parliamentary decline.
5.Live broadcast: Live telecasting of Parliamentary proceedings incentivizing sensationalization of issues often neglecting meaningful discussions.
6.Anti-Defection Law and Instruments of Whip: Today, the parliamentarians and state legislators lack vision, commitment, quality and competence for nation-building. The rigidity of party discipline has tied down party members to follow the dictates of party once elected to the Legislature.
7.Majority of ruling parties: Generally its decisions are pushed through the Parliament and state assemblies, without discussion, because of the sheer majority and weak opposition.
8.Politicization of the role of the speaker: The office of the speaker is getting politicized. As a result, there is a lack of confidence in the office of the speaker. Hence there are more disruptions.
9.Reduced Duration of Parliamentary Sitting – Less time for discussion and disposal of cases.
Way Forward:
•A strict code of conduct should be implemented for regulating their good behaviour and attendance in the House.
•The onus is on all political parties and parliamentary institutions to manage dissent in order to minimize disruptions.
•Another possible solution, going by the global experiences, is reserving a day in the week for the Opposition to set the agenda for Parliament. The advantages of this mechanism are evident– the government can’t shy away from discussing issues inconvenient to it; the Opposition won’t be smarting as it would get ample opportunities to vent its anger and raise issues.
•Anti-defection law should be applied only to confidence and no-confidence motions (Dinesh Goswami Committee on electoral reforms, 1990) or only when the government is in danger (Law Commission 170th report, 1999).
•Instead of making the Speaker the authority for disqualification, the decision should be made by the president or governor on the advice of the Election Commission. This would make the process similar to the disqualification procedure as given in the Representation of Peoples Act (RPA).
•Individual MPs and MLAs need to be empowered to think independently.

Conclusion:-
Also, a parliamentary government is described as a government by discussion. Therefore, by allowing for wider and more impactful participation in parliament, it is possible that some of the causes of disruptions would get addressed.