Delhi blast: Why adjourn? Parliament sends the wrong message
Has Parliament ever stalled post-attack in the past that it needed to do so now? This was the moment for it to show its resolve.
By TNN | Updated:
It was counterproductive for the Speaker and the government to comply with the opposition's demand to adjourn Parliament on a day Delhi was struck by a deadly bomb blast that killed 12 people and injured around 70. Parliament is the most potent symbol of a functioning democracy. Did it then play into the hands of anti-national forces, since paralysing the administration is usually the terrorist's main motivation?
Has Parliament ever stalled post-attack in the past that it needed to do so now? This was the moment for it to show its resolve. Condemning Wednesday's attack, paying homage to the victims, or even passing a resolution of significance to the nation - all this could have been part of a full day's work. The political leadership should have seized the opportunity to send out two messages. One, those found guilty would face severe punishment. Two, terrorists would always fail to prevent the country from going about its business.
The home minister and other ministers overseeing security could justifiably excuse themselves to focus on investigations. But all other MPs should have put legislative time to good use. According to estimates, the cost to the nation of stalling Parliament stood at roughly Rs 20,000 per minute in 2006. In 2011, the figure's likely to be double that, if not more.
That makes it all the more inexplicable that Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs felt they needed to get away from a House in session, after an adjournment was proposed. Clearly, parliamentarians still don't seem to comprehend that citizens want action against terror, not symbolic gestures. It's hardly surprising that politicians who landed up at hospitals on Wednesday weren't welcomed by the family members of the blast victims. It's about time the political establishment got its priorities right, and introspected on the manner in which it should respond to calamities.
Has Parliament ever stalled post-attack in the past that it needed to do so now? This was the moment for it to show its resolve. Condemning Wednesday's attack, paying homage to the victims, or even passing a resolution of significance to the nation - all this could have been part of a full day's work. The political leadership should have seized the opportunity to send out two messages. One, those found guilty would face severe punishment. Two, terrorists would always fail to prevent the country from going about its business.
The home minister and other ministers overseeing security could justifiably excuse themselves to focus on investigations. But all other MPs should have put legislative time to good use. According to estimates, the cost to the nation of stalling Parliament stood at roughly Rs 20,000 per minute in 2006. In 2011, the figure's likely to be double that, if not more.
That makes it all the more inexplicable that Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs felt they needed to get away from a House in session, after an adjournment was proposed. Clearly, parliamentarians still don't seem to comprehend that citizens want action against terror, not symbolic gestures. It's hardly surprising that politicians who landed up at hospitals on Wednesday weren't welcomed by the family members of the blast victims. It's about time the political establishment got its priorities right, and introspected on the manner in which it should respond to calamities.
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