July 17, 2026

Speaking And Listening Kept On Hold

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-12-16 10:07:44

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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The government is wrong in deciding not to hold the winter session of Parliament. When India has accepted the new normal and except for schools and colleges, everything is working as it was working before the pandemic hit us (with some health protocols in place), what is so special about the Parliament? In fact, it sends wrong signals if the session is not held. People will wonder whether the health of their representatives is more important than the health of citizens, especially when they can meet in Parliament with infinitely more and better precautions than the ordinary citizen can take in his or her daily life.

Recently, the Prime Minister has pontificated that the Indian democracy was the "mother of democracy" and had said that "speaking and listening" is at the heart of democratic principles. But at a time when the country is facing major problems - with the agitating farmers at Delhi's door - not holding the winter session is a denial of both speaking and listening and thus goes against democracy.

All these problems, whether the farmers agitation, the farm bills, the pandemic situation, the vaccination programme, China's continued misadventures at the LaC, the economy et al, need to be discussed by the people's representatives. The government and the opposition both need to have their say and listen to each other.

It is true that many MPs and officers in the parliament secretariat had got infected during the monsoon session. But that was then. Now the situation has improved and most government departments are running at full capacity. Also, those whose health the government is so concerned about are not in quarantine - in fact they are attending political and social events in full steam.

Then what is the problem in holding the winter session of Parliament? Does the government feel it has nothing to say? Or is it not in the mood to hear what the Opposition has to say? One is sure it is the latter. For, saying speaking and listening are at the heart of a democracy and then not allowing the temple of democracy to hold a session to facilitate that do not go hand in hand.