The Parliament in India was envisaged as a representative institution playing a key role in social and political unity. Being an elected body, it also has a key position in the structure of governance in India with functions ranging from law making and oversight of the executive to scrutiny of the budget.

However, in recent times there has been a lament about the decline of this body in light of the following factors:

• 50% decrease in average Parliamentary sittings between 1960 (120 days/year) to present (65-70 days/year).
• Loss of productive time and resources due to frequent disruptions.
• Frequent use of ordinances to bypass parliamentary scrutiny.
• Reduced deliberations and time spent on bills and budget.

Reasons for decline in parliamentary efficacy :

• Anti-defection law and party-whips : It disincentivizes active participation of individual MPs as they have to heed to party lines to avoid disqualification.
• Executive/Government control : The Government control over the summoning of each house and the legislative business to be deliberated, hinders the envisaged parliamentary control over the executive.
• Decline in effectiveness of parliamentary committees : MPs are unable to pay attention to committees as their constituencies make a huge demand on their time. Also, no mechanism exists for regular assessment of performance of committees.
• Erosion of political ethics and professionalism because of commercialization and criminalization of politics, and loss of individual integrity.
• Lack of research staff : It hinders the ability of legislators to deep-dive into important issues and constructive deliberations in the house.
• Live telecasts and media attention : This encourages MPs to take grandstands on issues to grab undue public attention.

Following measures are required to restore the credibility of the Parliament :

• Fix minimum number of sittings : 120 for Lok Sabha, and 100 for Rajya Sabha as was recommended by National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution.
• Advanced annual calendar of the sittings of the house, which is drawn by the Parliament itself, and not at the sole discretion of the executive.
• Adopt system of shadow cabinet where opposition MPs can assume portfolios, and hence scrutinize and track the progress in detail.
• Electoral reforms to check criminalization, use of money power, and curb the menace of fake news.
• Responsible opposition, which invests in constructive debates, and minimal disruptions to promote responsible legislation.
• Providing a role for the Election commission in deciding issues such as defection.
• Strengthening of committee system.

Encouraging greater say of the electorate by considering measures such as right to recall.

Parliament as the highest legislative office of India owes its accountability to the ultimate sovereign – the people of India. Constructive debates, deliberations, disputes and dialogue are the soul of Indian democracy, and the parliament needs to be the flag-bearer.