A total impasse in Parliament is not only undermining theworld's biggest democracy but also deepening its economic woes as long-awaitedreforms fall by the wayside.
A now familiar chorus of recriminations echoed around thegrandiose circular chamber, the second of the three annual sessions ended inparalysis last week.
The BJP has been demanding the resignation of beleagueredPrime Minister Manmohan Singh over a scandal involving the awarding of coalmining concessions in his first term as premier, which has come to be dubbed"Coalgate".
Auditors say the concessions were handed out too cheaply andin a process that lacked transparency -- heaping more embarrassment on the mainruling Congress party and Singh in particular who was in charge of the coalministry at the time.
Once widely admired as the architect of reforms in the 1990sthat transformed the Indian economy, Singh now finds his latest legislativeplans thwarted at every turn.
In the latest "monsoon" session which began onAugust 8, lawmakers spent just 25 out of a possible 120 hours consideringlegislation, according to PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based independentstudy group.
Only four bills were cleared by both Houses of Parliament,despite as many as 30 being listed for consideration on issues such aspensions, land acquisition, tax reform and corruption.
"The coal scandal has changed the entire political andeconomic complexion of the country," Arun Kumar, chairman of the Centrefor Economic Studies and Planning in New Delhi, told AFP.
"The victim of this deadlock is the economy which hasbeen stopped from getting back to growth," Kumar said adding thatlawmakers had unanimously ignored their "real business" which, is to"pass bills and introduce reforms".
"They are holding back India's economic growthstory."
Singh, not normally known for his temper, made a rareoutburst to reporters as he expressed his frustration last week outsideParliament.
"We take pride in the fact that since independence weare a practising, functioning democracy. What we have seen in this session is atotal negation of that," said the 79-year-old Congress party veteran.
While few commentators believe the BJP really wants to forceelections before the scheduled date in spring 2014, the Coalgate revelationshave put further wind in their sails at a time when the economy is experiencinga sharp slowdown.
India's economy grew by 5.5 percent in the second quarter ofthe year against a figure of eight percent over the same period in 2011.
The BJP, a right-wing Hindu nationalist party which lostpower in 2004, has been unapologetic about its wrecking tactics, saying theprotests were necessary and that obstructing Parliament was a legitimatemeasure.
"We are fighting for a cause," Sushma Swaraj, theleader of the party in parliament, told reporters.
"Bills were not passed in the House... we are aware ofthat but the fight against corruption is more crucial for the nation," shesaid, outlining how the party now planned to organise more anti-governmentstreet protests.
Political pundits warn that a bigger economic storm isbrewing and if the lawmakers do not pass the crucial bills in the next sessionthen several sectors of the economy will plunge into crisis.
Since independence in 1947, India has basked in its image asthe world's biggest parliamentary democracy but analysts say that thelegislative deadlock and the prospect of politics being played out on thestreet do not bode well.
