Editorial 1: The 17th Lok Sabha is likely to be the shortest since 1952
Context:
- The 17th Lok Sabha, which is entering its final year, has functioned for 230 sitting days so far. Of all the Lok Sabhas that completed the full five-year term, the 16th Lok Sabha had the lowest number of sitting days (331).
Report card:
- With one more year remaining, and 58 average sitting days a year, the 17th Lok Sabha is unlikely to sit for more than 331 days. This could make it the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952. The latest session (Budget session 2023), saw limited legislative activity, and minimal discussion on the Budget amidst continuous disruptions.
Issues related to working of the parliament
- Reduced working hours of Parliament: The Parliament working hours are getting reduced day by day.
- Frequent Adjournment of Parliament sessions: In recent times, Parliament sessions are adjourned frequently. This hampers the work of Parliament.
- Resort to money Bill route: Several key pieces of legislation have been passed as Money Bills, despite the fact that they did not fit this category.
- Contentious issues not debated: When a contentious issue crops up, the government dithers on debating it, leading to Opposition MPs violating the conduct rules and disrupting the proceedings of Parliament.
- Less scrutiny of Bills: Most of the bills were passed without any scrutiny, as they were passed in the same session in which they were introduced.
- Lack of Parliamentary debate: For instance, in the recent monsoon session, out of 20 bills, 18 bills were passed without any discussion in Lok sabha.
- Hindrance To Representative Democracy:Parliamentary discussion is a manifestation of a representative kind of democracy in operation, in the sense that representation of the people directly questions the government on matters of governance.
The shortcomings in the 17th Lok Sabha session
- In this session, the Lok Sabha functioned for 33% of its scheduled time (46 hours) and the Rajya Sabha functioned for 24% (32 hours).
- In this Lok Sabha, so far, 150 Bills have been introduced and 131 Bills have been passed (excluding Finance and Appropriation Bills). .
- The latest Budget session was the sixth shortest Budget session since 1952. The Lok Sabha spent 18 hours on financial business, of which 16 hours were spent on the general discussion of the Budget.
- The Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was the only item discussed in the latest session.
- In the 17th Lok Sabha, only 11 short-duration discussions and one half-an-hour discussion have been held so far. None of these were held in the latest session.
- Question Hour functioned for 19% of the scheduled time in the Lok Sabha and 9% of the scheduled time in the Rajya Sabha. About 7% of starred questions were answered in each House.
- No Private Member Bills were introduced or discussed in this session. Each House discussed one Private Member Resolution.
Suggestions
- Increase in the working days of Parliament: Our legislature should meet throughout the year, like parliaments of most developed democracies.
- Prevent disruption of its proceedings: There should be a deepening of its role as the forum for deliberation on critical national issues to ensure that disrupting its proceedings or allowing them to be disrupted ceases to be a viable option.
- Enforcement of a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs: There must be strict adherence to the code of conduct for MPs and MLAs so that disruption of proceedings ceases to be an option.
- Modify the Anti-Defection Act: There should be modifications to the anti-defection law so that it applies only in cases where the government’s survival is at stake.
- Accord private member bills more space and respect: This will allow a variety of ideas to bubble up from the grassroots
- Televise parliamentary committee proceedings: Bipartisanship and well-researched discussions are often the hallmarks of parliamentary committees. Yet this crucial aspect of the parliamentary process is well-hidden from the public.
- Enable “Public Interest Legislation: create a system that will enable MPs to hear the viewpoints of affected citizens and initiate appropriate policy responses.
- Bring Transparency to the Clash of Interests: Before legislation is passed, various publics and groups find a way to articulate their viewpoints to key political decision-makers..
- Developing an Index: Parliamentary disruption index should be created as a measure to monitor disruptions in legislatures and check indiscipline.
Conclusion:
- Parliamentary democracy of India will only be stronger if the forum for deliberative democracy functions smoothly.
Editorial 2: Saudi Arabia’s quest for strategic autonomy
Context:
- Saudi Arabia, which had adopted an aggressive foreign policy in recent years seeking to expand its influence in West Asia and roll back that of Iran, its bitter rival, is now following a dramatic course correction.
The changing policy of Saudi Arabia:
- It’s reaching out to old rivals, holding talks with new enemies and seeking to balance between great powers, all while trying to transform its economy at home. If the Saudi drive to autonomise its foreign policy and build regional stability through diplomacy holds, it can have serious implications for West Asia.
- For years, the main driver of Saudi foreign policy was the kingdom’s hostility towards Iran. This has resulted in proxy conflicts across the region.
- For example, in Syria, Iran’s only state ally in West Asia, Saudi Arabia joined hands with its Gulf allies as well as Turkey and the West to bankroll and arm the rebellion against President Bashar al Assad.
- In Yemen, whose capital Sana’a was captured by the Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels in 2014, the Saudis started a bombing campaign in 2015, which hasn’t formally come to an end yet.
- One of the demands the Saudis made to Qatar when it imposed a blockade on its smaller neighbour in 2017 was to sever ties with Iran. However, the Qatar blockade came to an unsuccessful end in 2021.
- Last month, Saudi Arabia announced a deal, after China-mediated talks, to normalise diplomatic ties with Iran. Soon after, there were reports that Russia was mediating talks between Saudi Arabia and Syria, which could lead to the latter re-entering the Arab League before its next summit, scheduled in Saudi Arabia.
- Earlier this week, a Saudi-Omani delegation travelled to Yemen to hold talks with the Houthi rebels for a permanent ceasefire. All these moves mark a decisive shift from the policy adopted by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman after he rose to the top echelons of the Kingdom in 2017.
- Aggressiveness makes way for diplomacy and loyal alliances make room for pragmatic realignments. This is happening at a time when Saudi Arabia is also trying to balance between the U.S., its largest arms supplier, Russia, its OPEC-Plus partner, and China, the new superpower in the region.
- In post-War West Asia, the U.S. had been part of almost all major realignments — either through force or talks, from the Suez war to the Abraham Accords. But now, when China and Russia are mediating talks between rivals successfully and Saudi Arabia, a trusted ally, is busy building its own autonomy, the U.S., despite its huge military presence in the region, is reduced to being a spectator.
India- Saudi Arabia bilateral ties:
1.Commercial Relations:
- Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner (after China, USA and Japan) and a major source of energy as India imports around 18% of its crude oil requirement from the Kingdom.
- Saudi Arabia is also a major source of LPG for India. During FY22, bilateral trade was valued at US$29.28 billion.
- India’s imports from Saudi Arabia were valued at US$22.65 billion and exports to Saudi Arabia were worth US$6.63 billion.
2. Cultural Relations
- India successfully participated as ‘Guest of Honour’ in the 32nd edition of the prestigious Saudi National Festival of Heritage and Culture in 2018.
- Yoga was announced as a ‘sports activity’ in Saudi Arabia.
- Haj pilgrimage is another important component of bilateral relations.
3. Military exercise
- AL – Mohed AL – Hindi is the maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia.
4. Diaspora
- The approximately 2.2 million strong Indian community is the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom.
Conclusion :
- India is looking to improve its ties with all major regional powers in the Arabian peninsula.