People will revolt if Parliament remains non-functional: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Reflecting on the frequent disruptions in Parliament, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday warned that public agitations could become a threat to democracy if the House remains non-functional and gradually loses its relevance.

While launching a book titled Parliament: Powers, Functions & Privileges; a Comparative Constitutional Perspective authored by Dr. K.S. Chauhan, VP Dhankhar cautioned that ongoing disruptions in Parliament could lead to mass protests.

“People will take to agitations. People will find a way out, and therefore, if Parliament is non-functional, it will gradually get into irrelevance, and that will be a threat to democracy,” he said.

He emphasized that the aspirations of the nation must be met by parliamentarians who need to work in overdrive, evolving policies that can only emerge when Parliament functions effectively.

“The primary function of Parliament is that it must be optimally functional. It must have dialogue and debate. It must hold the government accountable,” the Vice President stated.

He further explained that the executive is held accountable only through the parliamentary mechanism, which requires Parliament to function through dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation. “But if Parliament is dysfunctional, if it is ravaged by disruptions, accountability does not take place,” he added.

Warning about the consequences of a non-functional Parliament, Dhankhar said, “We are the fifth-largest global economy, and we will soon be the third-largest. But the challenge is there. An eight-fold increase in per capita income must be achieved for a developed nation status. And that can only happen when Parliament and its committees perform and outperform themselves.”

The Vice President also stressed the need to maintain ethical standards in Parliament. “Just imagine my pain. Only a month back or so, we found on a particular seat in the Rajya Sabha, a wad of notes, Rs 500 in denomination. What has really pained me is that no one has come to claim it. That’s a very serious issue. You can carry notes, maybe out of necessity, but then no one has claimed them. That’s a collective challenge to our ethical standards,” he said.

VP Dhankhar concluded by stating that Parliament can only fulfill its purpose if parliamentarians are allowed to freely express their views on critical issues.

“I envy their enormous talent, their capacity, their contribution. They are very learned people, and therefore, I am sure this book will be an eye-opener for those who urge to take this nation forward,” he added.