Parliament’s Past: A Mirror to Changing Dynamics (UPSC Polity)

The 17th Lok Sabha concluded its proceedings on 10 February 2024, making it an apt moment to reflect on the performance of our Parliament. Over seven decades, Indian Parliament has been the central theatre of democratic governance — but recent indicators suggest a decline in productivity, disruptions of sessions, and a shrinking space for substantive debate. For UPSC Polity, the health of Parliament is a GS-II essential covering lawmaking, executive accountability, and democratic quality.

Significance of Parliamentary Productivity

The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body responsible for enacting laws and overseeing the functioning of the government. Its key roles include:

Law-Making

• Primary function — bills are introduced in either House, debated, and passed as Acts of Parliament.
• Includes constitutional amendments, money bills, and ordinary bills.

Scrutiny of Government

• Question Hour, Zero Hour, and debates hold the government accountable.
• Adjournment motions, calling attention notices, and privilege motions enable scrutiny.
• No-confidence motions can remove the government.

Budgetary Control

• Approval or rejection of government budget proposals.
• Standing Committees (Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings) scrutinise government spending.

Oversight of Executive

• Investigating the functioning of executive branch and agencies.
• Departmentally-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) examine ministry-wise performance.

Electoral Functions

• Decides qualifications and disqualifications of members.
• Conducts elections to fill vacancies.

Constitutional Functions

• Amending the Constitution (Article 368).
• Approving emergency proclamations (Articles 352, 356, 360).
• Impeaching the President, Vice-President, judges, and other high officials.

Indicators of Declining Productivity

Number of Bills Passed

(Source: PRS Legislative Research)

The declining number of bills reflects shorter sessions, more disruptions, and greater reliance on ordinances and delegated legislation.

Disrupted Question Hour

Question Hour is the most important accountability instrument in parliamentary business.

• According to IndiaSpend, the 16th Lok Sabha lost 29% of its scheduled time to disruptions.
• The 17th Lok Sabha lost 48% — nearly half its scheduled time.
• Disruptions eat into debate, question, and scrutiny time.

Decline in Private Members' Bills

• Private Members' Bills (PMBs) are introduced by MPs who are not part of the government.
• The 16th Lok Sabha passed only 2 PMBs, compared to 14 in the previous Lok Sabha.
• PMBs are a critical indicator of individual MP legislative agency; their decline signals executive dominance.

Reduced Number of Sittings

• The 17th Lok Sabha functioned for only around 230 sitting days over five years.
• In the 1950s, Parliament met for 120-140 days a year; now it meets for 60-70 days.
• The House of Commons (UK) sits for about 150 days a year with 7.5-hour average sittings.
• Indian Parliament rules provide that Lok Sabha meets 6 hours and Rajya Sabha 5 hours per day.

International Reports

Various international reports have flagged concerns:

• V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) reports have noted decline in deliberative dimensions.
• Freedom House has raised concerns on democratic backsliding, including parliamentary functioning.

Lack of Discipline and Decorum

• Members use disruption as a tool when they lack opportunity to articulate views.
• Unresponsive attitudes from the government further fuel indiscipline.

Declining Quality of Debates

• Parliamentarians often toe party lines and argue on rhetoric rather than facts.
• Substantial reports and expert evidence play a minor role in debates.
• Frequent disruptions prevent substantive exchange.

Legislation Through Ordinances

• Governments increasingly rely on ordinance route for crucial issues.
• Example: Ordinance to amend the GNCTD Act (Delhi services).
• Ordinances further subvert Parliament as the primary lawmaker.

Reasons for the Decline

Increased Polarisation

• Confrontational politics leads to frequent disruptions.
• Protests, sloganeering, and walkouts are common.
• This has resulted in loss of valuable time and resources, hindering the legislative process.

Lack of Adequate Preparation

• Bills rushed without thorough discussion.
• Inadequate scrutiny and oversight produce poorly drafted legislation.
• Delays, controversies, and amendments down the line reduce overall productivity.

Weak Committee System

• Committees play a crucial role in scrutinising bills, conducting research, and consulting stakeholders.
• Absence of robust committee referral means bypassing or inadequate scrutiny.
• Only ~25% of bills in the 17th Lok Sabha were referred to committees, down sharply from earlier Lok Sabhas.

Lack of Diversity

• Indian Parliament has significant under-representation of marginalised groups — including women and religious minorities.
• This excludes diverse voices and perspectives.
• Legislation does not always reflect the needs of all sections of society.

Declining Role of Rajya Sabha

• Many ordinary bills are introduced and passed as Money Bills to evade Rajya Sabha scrutiny.
• Example: Aadhaar Bill was passed as a Money Bill; its status was litigated in Rojer Mathew (2019) and Jairam Ramesh cases.

Outcomes of Parliamentary Decline

Impairs Performance

Decline in productivity impairs Parliament's ability to effectively perform its constitutional duties.

Impairs Basic Legislative Function

• MPs cannot ask tough questions during Question Hour.
• Inadequate time for debating legislation.
• Bills either get passed without effective debate or remain pending.

Weakens Democratic Representation

• With Parliament meeting fewer days and productivity falling, MPs cannot raise matters of urgent public importance.
• Issues affecting constituents get inadequate airtime.

Erodes Faith in Parliament

• When Parliament does not function, laws needed to address governance challenges are not made.
• Government gets away with minimal scrutiny.
• MPs lose opportunities to represent constituency interests.
• The largest cost is loss of faith in the institution of Parliament and its role in upholding Indian democracy.

Way Ahead

British Convention on Opposition Days

• In the British Parliament, certain days each session are allotted for Opposition parties to determine the agenda.
• 20 days a year in the UK.
• India could adopt a similar convention.

Increased Frequency and Sitting Hours

• Parliament should meet more frequently — restore the 120-140 days norm of the 1950s.
• Longer sitting hours: House of Commons sits 150 days with 7.5-hour average; Indian Parliament rules provide for 6 hours (Lok Sabha) and 5 hours (Rajya Sabha) but actual hours are often lower.

Parliamentary Calendar

• Calendar of sittings announced at the beginning of each year for limited flexibility.
• Rules should ensure that the House is summoned if a significant minority (say 25% or 33%) of members gives a written notice.

Prime Minister's Question Time

• In the UK, the PM is bound by constitutional convention to respond to questions posed directly by MPs.
• India lacks this convention — could be introduced.

Technology for Productivity

• Electronic voting systems.
• Remote attendance for members.
• Digital communication channels.
• This would enable Parliament to function more efficiently, reduce disruptions, and save time.

Capacity Building

• Focus on training parliamentarians in:
• Legislative drafting
• Public speaking
• Committee work
• Enables MPs to be more effective, contributing to better legislative outcomes.

Parliament Productivity Index

• Introduce a Parliament Productivity Index (PPI) that measures:
• Productivity of each session
• Five most disruptive MPs based on clearly defined parameters

Strengthen Committee System

• Mandatory referral of bills to Departmentally-Related Standing Committees.
• Time-bound reports to ensure bills move forward.
• Enhanced research and expert support for committees.

Latest Developments (2024-26)

• 18th Lok Sabha began June 2024 — early sessions saw high disruption over contested bills (Waqf Amendment, GNCTD further amendments).
• One Nation One Election bill introduced in December 2024 — referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
• Women's Reservation activation tied to Census and delimitation — pushed to after 2029.
• Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 and broadcasting regulations have generated parliamentary debates.
• Parliamentary productivity data for NDA-3 shows mixed signals with more bills referred to committees under coalition pressure.

UPSC Relevance

GS-II mapping: Parliament and State Legislatures — structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers and privileges; executive accountability; role of civil society.

Prelims bullets:

• PRS Legislative Research — key data source.
• 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024) — 131 bills, 48% scheduled time lost.
• Money Bill controversies — Aadhaar.
• DRSCs — Departmentally-Related Standing Committees.
• PMB — Private Members' Bills; declining.
• UK convention — 20 Opposition days per year.

Mains angles:

• "Indian Parliament's productivity is in structural decline." Examine indicators and causes.
• Suggest reforms to revitalise the Indian Parliament as a deliberative institution.
• Discuss the role of parliamentary committees in law-making and oversight.
• How does the Opposition's role in Parliament differ between a single-party majority and a coalition context?