JAY JOSHI
The Indian Parliament recently witnessed a heated debate over some objectionable remarks made by Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan about women. Remarks that cross a certain line of modesty are not new to Indian politics. In the past, Azam Khan has made such remarks about Jaya Prada who contested the Lok Sabha elections on BJP ticket. Former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav also has made such comments. While opposing reservation for women in Parliament, he had stated that having more women in Parliament will prompt MPs to whistle. Indian politics is filled with many such remarks that women have to face.
The recent incident involving Azam Khan has yet again underlined the need to instill decorum in Indian political discourse. Being a Member of Parliament brings some serious responsibilities, and as leaders, MPs are also expected to maintain certain standards of conduct. Do they live up to these norms? If not, how can the quality of Indian politics be improved? We asked these questions to former MPs as well as Goans from all walks of life.
“What happened was unfortunate, and Azam Khan should apologise,” said former Law Minister and Member of Parliament Ramakant Khalap. “Every person has their own personality and beliefs. For some people, what they say might not be offensive, but it might seem so to others. That said, Members of Parliament do need to be responsible about what they speak, and exercise restraint and pay attention to their language,” he stated. However, he further noted that such instances have occurred only rarely in Indian politics, and there is no need to blame the entire political community for such incidents. During most of its journey, the Indian democracy has worked with the right amount of maturity, stated the former Parliamentarian.
On the other hand, Shailesh Tanpure, a student of political science from Goa University expressed that Members of Parliament need to be educated about a number of sensitive matters. “I feel that parliamentarians need to face strict action such as restriction of their privileges in such cases. It would be a good idea to make MPs attend workshops on sexual harassment at the beginning of their term so that they are aware of what the appropriate behaviour should be,” said Tanpure.
Roshan Samant, a lawyer from Mapusa believed that many politicians tend to make politically incorrect remarks because power gets to them. “Power should not go to one’s head. In the recent case with Azam Khan, there are two aspects. One is to show respect to a woman, and the other is showing respect to the position she holds. When an MP is speaking in Parliament, he should also show respect for the Chair of the Speaker,” said the advocate. “Also, do note that people such as teachers, soldiers, doctors etc. have some sort of training as to how to conduct themselves and take their profession ahead. There is no such formal training for politicians. Perhaps political parties must introduce some sort of training for their cadre so that such issues will not arise” she said.
Ria Desai, an engineer from Ponda also opined that there needs to be a change in the attitude of the MPs. “Elected leaders in fact hold positions of great responsibility, but many Indian politicians take them lightly and only see the power that the high seat gives. Holding a leadership position does not mean you could get away with doing certain wrong things. Instead, you have to be mindful of how you present yourself to the people as a leader,” said Desai. “At the end of the day, it comes down to an individual’s own upbringing.”
Former Member of Parliament Narendra Sawaikar also underlines that the recent incident is unhealthy for democracy. “There are a number of traditions and precedents which are followed in the Parliament. The institution itself is a law-making body and is a platform for serious debate. Unethical conduct on such a platform is out of line. It is not good for a healthy democracy,” says the former MP. Commenting on the idea of a code of conduct for MPs to curb such behaviour, he expresses that self-discipline is more important.
“ When there are rules, there are those who break the rules. What is important is one’s own approach and involvement towards one’s own duty.” stated Sawaikar. Elaborating on his own experience, Sawaikar informed that he learned the nitty-gritty of Parliamentary conduct by observing seniors. When you are an MP, not everything can be told to you, and you have to develop respect and stature by learning yourself, he said.
The need for Indian political culture to change has been spoken, but how that can be done is a point of debate still. While people state that politicians need some sort of training, politicians believe that a new MP should teach himself or herself about the traditions and precedents set by the Parliament.
