2009/04/17

Jarnail hurled a shoe, but our honourable MPs flung slippers

Adolf Washington
Indian Catholic

Twenty-two percent of the 14th Lok Sabha’s time was lost because of the unruly behaviour of parliamentarians and unnecessary disruptions, according to a report titled 'Citizens' Report on Governance and Development 2008-2009' that was released by the National Social Watch Coalition, a conglomerate of various civil society organisations active in 14 states.

BANGALORE, Karnataka : We are now a nation where it doesn’t take a drama school to make you a hero.

You fling a shoe, mouth a hate speech, vow to chop off some party leader’s head, barter notes for votes, or just about do anything that’s indecent, vulgar, corrupt or criminal. And do it in full view of the media. You become an instant hero.

Whether you languish in jail or return on bail, you have already earned credentials enough to woo voters, or even earn a party ticket!

Journalist Jarnail Singh may have lent the English language a new word called Jarnailism, but he hasn’t done either the nation or the journalist fraternity proud (though we have our sympathies for the Sikhs who suffered in the 1984 riots).

(For those out of the loop, Jarnail Singh hurled a shoe at senior Congress leader and Home Minister P. Chidambaran, angry at the CBI giving a clean chit to Congressmen Jagadish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, accused in the massacre of hundreds of Sikhs in the wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.)

Presumably, no Indian political party can claim to have a clean image on such issues.

Jarnail Singh may have thrown a shoe, but let’s not forget that our MPs have outdone him in the 14th Lok Sabha. MPs entered the well of the House and shouted slogans, indulged in physical attacks like throwing microphones, chairs, and slippers, interrupting others from speaking and totally disregarding and insulting the chair, causing forced adjournment of the scheduled business, resulting in the loss of the precious time of the august House.

Twenty-two percent of the 14th Lok Sabha’s time was lost because of the unruly behaviour of parliamentarians and unnecessary disruptions, according to a report titled 'Citizens' Report on Governance and Development 2008-2009' that was released by the National Social Watch Coalition, a conglomerate of various civil society organisations active in 14 states.

The organisation observed that each minute of parliament cost the exchequer Rs.26,035!

With many of the stalwarts involved in parliamentary misbehaviour contesting the elections again, there is very little hope that the 15th Lok Sabha will see decency and decorum in the House, unless the Indian electorate think beyond party lines and vote for men and women of character and decency who believe that heroism comes from protecting the nations dignity and secular fabric and not from vulgar and indecent protests.

We hope the MPs would leave their footwear out for the 15th Lok Sabha sittings. (Adolf Washington is the president of the Indian Catholic Press Association).

www.indiancatholic.in/news/storydetails.php/11860-1-4-Jarnail-hurled-a-shoe,-but-our-honourable-MPs-flung-slippers

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