House of Discord

Successive sessions in Parliament have shown a general trend towards decline which is evident from the graph that accompanies INDIA TODAY’S cover story (“Bringing Down the House”, March 3). Not only have the debates in Parliament lost their sheen, the representatives have also lost credibility. The result is total chaos and mayhem. The decline of Parliament is indicative of the decay that has crept into our society which elects such people as their representatives. The behaviour of our parliamentarians is anything but parliamentary. RAJESH SAHAY, Delhi It is extremely embarrassing to see our parliamentarians behave like hooligans on the streets. It is shocking how they are bringing shame to the country by repeatedly disrespecting and disrupting the proceedings of the House. This is a wake-up call for the people of our country who should now take a firm stance against unruly politicians and stop electing undeserving candidates to the House. INDU SHANKAR, Varanasi The cover story is certainly an eye-opener for a country which aspires to be a world power and the third-largest economy in the next decade. The need of the hour is debate and not disruption, statesmanship and not fights inside Parliament. The worst five years of our parliamentary history must have taken our country backward by at least 10 years. The problems of the nation took a backseat as our parliamentarians played dirty politics in the House. It is indeed shameful and worrying for the future of our democracy. KANAK NAMBIAR, Navi Mumbai MPs from all parties are responsible for this sorry state of affairs in Parliament. While almost all of them came together to ensure a hefty raise in their salaries, they also made sure that the House did not function properly. The rul-

ing party, Congress, is at fault but the Opposition parties are no better. KRISHNA K. SABOO, via email It’s extremely disheartening to see our paliamentarians behaving like this. It’s a pity that people’s money and time are wasted in holding elections and voting to power leaders who have no concern for the development of the country or the welfare of its people. SUDHIR MISHRA, Bhubaneswar Do parliamentary leaders take citizens for fools? The self-adulation during the final session of the 15th Lok Sabha added insult to injury. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailing the passage of the Telangana Bill or the leader of Opposition taking pride in the voting on the Lokpal Bill—all suggested that MPs are in a state of denial. J. AKSHAY, Secunderabad