New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Former chief justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday said every hour lost to disruptions in Parliament was “an hour lost to scrutiny and debate”, and stressed that the issue was ultimately one of constitutional responsibility.
Addressing the 16th edition of the Sansad Ratna Awards here, Gavai said disagreements were an essential part of democracy but must find expression through institutions created for democratic deliberations by the Constitution.
“Every hour lost to disruption is also an hour lost to scrutiny and debate,” he said. “The issue is not that of parliamentary productivity. It is ultimately an issue of constitutional responsibility.” He said parliamentarians have the responsibility to ensure that laws are carefully examined, competing perspectives are heard and the interests of those they represent are genuinely considered.
“There will inevitably be disagreements in a democracy. There will be occasions when members strongly oppose the position of the government. Such disagreement is not only legitimate, but it is necessary to a functioning democracy,” he said.
“But disagreements must find expression through the institutions created for democratic deliberations by the Constitution,” Gavai said.
Gavai said parliamentarians must think beyond the immediate and the political while shaping laws that could affect generations.
“They must ask whether a law is workable, whether it is fair, and ask whether it advances the constitutional purpose,” he said.
The former CJI also emphasised the importance of deliberation in lawmaking, saying disagreement and criticism were not weaknesses of democratic government but among its principal safeguards.
The Sansad Ratna Awards were instituted in 2010 following a suggestion by former president A P J Abdul Kalam to recognise top-performing parliamentarians.
This year’s awardees include BJP MPs Praveen Patil and P P Chaudhary as “overall toppers in the total tally” in Lok Sabha.
BJP MPs Jagadambika Pal and Nishikant Dubey have been recognised for debates initiated, while Shiv Sena MP Srikanth Shinde has been selected in the private members’ bills category.
BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato was awarded for questions asked.
The first-time MPs category recognised BJP’s Lumbaram and Hemant Vishnu, and Shiv Sena’s Naresh Ganpat.
BJP MP Smita Udhay was recognised in the women MPs category.
BJP MPs Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Narhari Amin are the “overall toppers in the total tally” in Rajya Sabha.
Among parliamentary committees, Agriculture Committee chairman Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress has been recognised for the highest number of total reports presented. Finance Committee chairman Bhartruhari Mahtab has been recognised in the same category.
Rural Development Committee chairman Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka has been recognised for the highest number of original reports presented, while Coal and Mines Committee chairman Anurag Thakur also received an award in the same category.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes, headed by Kishor Makwana, has received the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Jan Seva Puraskar for government and non-government organisations.
Former Union minister Hansraj Ahir said MPs carried a major responsibility as only a small number of people from India’s huge population get the opportunity to sit in Parliament.
He said the award should also remind other MPs that their work was being watched and appreciated.
“We are elected to Parliament to speak in Parliament, but at times Parliament does not function,” Ahir said, adding that there was a need to watch how MPs presented their subjects even when there were disruptions.
Ahir lauded Prime Point Foundation, an organisation that monitors the performance of MPs, for its good work.
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, recalling his own journey as an MP, said the award recognised work that was often “very tedious” and “thankless”.
“When an organisation gives such an award, then it seems that someone is watching. Someone is appreciating our work,” he said.
Majumdar also urged young people to take an interest in politics, saying democracy provided opportunities to people without a political background.
“I was not in politics before 2019,” he said, recounting how he had entered electoral politics after working as a teacher and in the social sector.
He said the Constitution and democracy had given him an opportunity to reach Parliament from a small city and also become a minister.
Former parliamentarians and students also attended the award ceremony. PTI AO SKY SKY
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