Dhankhar urges law makers to utilise temples of democracy for healthy debate, deliberations

Expressing concern over the growing tendency to “weaponise disruption and disturbance as a political strategy” in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday urged MPs and MLAs to “immobilise their remote controls” to contribute their maximum in temples of democracy.

Dhankar, also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said there was widespread pain and anguish among people at large over the growing tendency to ‘weaponise’ disruption and disturbance as a political strategy in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies.
“Legislatures in particular– I leave a thought with you–can we weaponise as a political strategy disruption and disturbance of the House”, Dhankar asked while inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of Kerala Legislative Assembly building-Niyamasabha here.

He said people were asking why Parliament and legislatures are not debating and discussing and “why we are spending crores of rupees only for disturbance?”
“I preside over the Rajya Sabha. Each member of the Rajya Sabha is very talented. They bring on the table a huge experience. They need to immobilise their remote controls so that they contribute maximum in the Rajya Sabha, maximum in Parliament, maximum in the legislature,” the Vice President said.

Dhankar urged the Assembly Speakers and Leaders of the Houses to create a national consensus that the temples of democracy will be used for deliberations, debate, dialogue, and discussion.
“Trust me, democracy will be threatened if these temples of democracy do not do their job, and the job will be done somewhere else,” he said.

He also urged the legislators to “take off their political glasses sometimes” when issues concerning the nation are taken up for discussion in Parliament and State Assemblies. The V-P lamented that wit, humour, and sarcasm, which were once hallmarks of parliamentary and legislative functioning, were disappearing.

“Where is the wit, where is the humour, where is the sarcasm, and where is the positive ridicule that used to be there in Parliament and in Legislatures? It is missing. It has to be an explosion of talent, wit, humour, ideas, innovations…”, Dhankar said, referring to instances of such exchanges that used to happen between the stalwarts in the past.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan were among those who addressed the gathering of eminent personalities including ministers, MLAs and former Assembly Speakers at the function.