BJP MP Varun Gandhi has been considered a voice of 'informed' dissent in his party in recent years. Varun, cousin of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, had opposed the Narendra Modi government's handling of the farmers' protests of 2020-21 and also questioned its approach to employment generation.
On Wednesday, he wrote an article in The Indian Express on the absence of debate in Parliament.
Referring to data, Varun wrote “The Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament in 2021 saw the Lok Sabha clearing over 18 bills with about 34 minutes of discussion for each. The Essential Defence Services Bill (2021), enabling the government to prohibit strikes, lockouts and lay-offs in units in the defence industry, saw 12 minutes of debate in the Lok Sabha, while the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill (2021) had just five minutes of debate (PRS India, 2021). Not one bill was referred to a parliamentary committee.” He asked “Has Parliament become a mere post office?”
Varun argued that MPs did not have adequate resources for in-depth research, noting “a typical MP gets an allowance of Rs 40,000 per month to hire a legislative assistant”. He demanded the government raise funding for parliamentary research.
He contrasted the British system of government accountability with the practices in India. Varun noted the British prime minister was expected to answer questions from MPs every Wednesday. “The result—as often seen on television—is a raucous set of probing questions and hesitant answers, with the government kept on its toes,” he wrote in The Indian Express. On the other hand, in India, the prime minister and ministers are often given queries in advance.
Varun also pointed out the absence of parliamentary scrutiny over long-term development plans, unlike the practice of legislative committees in the US and UK.
Varun wrote about the controversial cuts to the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme that the Narendra Modi government had made. “With about 6,38,000 villages in India, the average parliamentary constituency ends up having 1,000 each. If one were to equitably divide the sum, it would add up to Rs 15,000 per locality (barely enough to have three metres of concrete road). And even this amount was suspended over the past 1.5 years, with the government reportedly 'saving' Rs 6,320 crore,” he wrote.
Varun also criticised the “institutional mechanisms” that stifled debate such as the anti-defection law. “This law has disincentivised MPs to have a distinguished voting record. MPs simply look to press the button highlighted by the whip, with the party system determining one’s stand as a parliamentarian. Consider this: Of India’s 543 Lok Sabha seats, 250 are occupied by politicians who profess to be farmers. And yet, few, if any, of these 'farmers' were able to raise their voices on the debate on the three farm laws in Parliament. A vote for one’s conscience has become a rarity in India’s august forum. The anti-defection law has not served its purpose and should simply be scrapped,” Varun wrote in The Indian Express.
Varun acknowledged the Lok Sabha could end up with over 1,000 seats by 2026, when the Delimitation Commission could revise constituencies. However, he argued “While ensuring representation is key, with this, MPs are unlikely to have significant speaking time, let alone space to influence debates or take initiative.”
