Should opposition stall parliament?

samirsachdeva

Samir Sachdeva | November 26, 2010



A strong opposition is the backbone of the parliamentary system of democracy.  Only a powerful opposition can hold the government accountable and question it through parliamentary democracy.  In a situation where multiple authorities - CAG, CVC, CBI, ED - are failing to pin accountability on the government, the opposition should definitely step in.

But the question is that should the opposition intervene through debates in parliament or by stalling it? Each day in parliament costs around Rs eight crore to the exchequer and if the parliament does not function the tax payers money goes waste.

But the opposition has to also ensure that the government does not become autocratic or arrogant and takes decisions against national interest. After all the cost of Rs eight crore is minuscule as compared to a loss of 1.76 lakh crore to the country. The government easily slips many major issues behind the tag of pending enquiry or being sub-judice. 

In such circumstances, should the opposition de-rail the functioning of parliament to coerce the government to act or debate the issue inside the parliament and run the risk of the government deflecting its responsibility?

 

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