Why Parliament Is Drifting Away From People’s Real Problems

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As Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah spar over electoral roll revisions, Delhi–NCR’s toxic air, joblessness and public distress remain sidelined—raising a sharper question this winter: Has the distance between the street and Parliament become unbridgeable?

By TRH Political Desk

New Delhi, December 12, 2025 — Senior journalist Manish Anand, in his signature political commentary for The Raisina Hills, argues that the Winter Session of Parliament has exposed a widening chasm between the street and Sansad.

The Winter Session—already one of the shortest in decades—has become a theatre where history overwhelms the present, and political point-scoring drowns out public pain. Despite a country gasping in toxic air, reeling under rising joblessness, and battling inflation, the House has been consumed by a high-decibel face-off between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi.

A Session Dominated by Rhetoric, Not Reality

Rahul Gandhi’s fundamental question—how can the same voter appear in multiple state elections within months?—triggered a blistering historical counterattack from Shah. From Indira Gandhi’s overturned 1975 verdict to Nehru’s prime ministerial selection, the Treasury benches leaned on decades-old political episodes rather than addressing the operational flaws of electoral rolls today.

Opposition MPs say this deflection reveals a pattern: current problems get historical answers.

Pollution Finally Breaks Through

After weeks of choking smog, the House finally heard Delhi–NCR’s cry. Rahul Gandhi struck a conciliatory tone, urging the government to draft a 5-, 10- or 15-year national clean-air plan, with the Opposition promising cooperation.

For once, the two sides appeared aligned. But as Anand notes, the issue surfaced after two months of public anger, police barricades and street protests—a sign of Parliament reacting late, and reluctantly, to real-world suffering.

A Democracy Where the Street No Longer Speaks?

Anand’s central worry stands out: “Politics once flowed from the street to Parliament. Today, it seems Parliament is drifting away from the people entirely.”

While voters struggle with unemployment, polluted cities, and rising costs, parliamentary debates remain trapped in the prism of Nehru vs Indira vs history, instead of focusing on governance failures or present-day accountability.

Rahul Gandhi’s Shift

The Congress leader’s pivot toward constructive engagement—especially on pollution—signals a recognition that negative politics alone won’t work. Speaking on issues that hurt everyday Indians may be his pathway to political relevance.

The Challenge Ahead

As this session ends, two questions linger:

Can Parliament reclaim its role as the amplifier of people’s problems?
Can the Opposition push present-day issues past the ruling party’s historical shields?

For now, the Winter Session will be remembered less for reforms and more for a widening disconnect between India’s streets and its legislature.

(Manish Anand daily hosts a discussion on the YouTube channel of The Raisina Hills)