New and old parliaments in times of snowfall in summer
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, May 28: From the press gallery of the Lok Sabha, one would often look at the nets wrapped onto the ceilings of the lower house of parliament. One would often wonder if the slabs could fall off the ceilings of parliament building. The new parliament should have been built decades ago, and its unveiling on Sunday marks indeed a momentous occasion.
But the old parliament, which will become a museum, had warmth. Members of parliament could be spotted walking in the corridors, and the visitors and the press would run into them for occasional chats.
Former members of parliament would also very often visit the Central Hall to catch up with old and new colleagues. Some of the studious members of parliament would also be seen deeply involved in reading books in the library and taking notes. They would prepare for the debate in parliament and also the Question Hour.
On the first floor of the old parliament building, the tea stall was the most sought after for the press, as well as the MPs searching for the media persons to share a chat or information. The members of the press would walk along the corridors to peek into several rooms of the ministers, political parties, chairmen of the standing committees, and the officials.
The old parliament building was full of warmth and access. The new parliament building is full of modern amenities and facilities for the current members. It is also imposing. The building is also high on technology. Desks of the members of the parliament are equipped with screens to ensure that there is no need for papers.
The building is also modern on safety aspect. The new parliament may not witness incidents such as pepper spray of February 13, 2014, weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections which voted out the Congress from power. The Congress MP Lagadapati Rajgopal, a business tycoon, had flashed a canister sudden top spray pepper to the front benches where the likes of Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, late Sushma Swaraj were seated. At least three MPs then had to be hospitalized, while several others were carried on stretchers.
Parliament has seen several ugly spats among the members along with sparring between the treasury and the Opposition benches. Yet, outside the chambers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha such members who had just been seen baying for blood of each other would crack jokes and shake hands.
The inauguration of the new parliament building has come at a time when the ruling BJP and the Opposition have no working communication channel. Modi has been without an aide of a parliamentary affairs minister who can ring up Opposition MPs and break the deadlock in either of the two Houses.
At a time when being partisan is the new normal, the new parliament may yearn for the warmth of the old building. “Opposition must have its say and the government should have its way” has been the guiding light of the Indian parliamentary system. The new parliament would just need a soul to begin breathing Indian democracy in its high walls.
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