Recently the Speaker was greatly annoyed with the conduct of MPs. They were noisy. They repeatedly ignored his orders. The Speaker threatened to resign. It had no impact. Unable to extract obedience from the MPs, the Speaker exercised his freedom most creatively. He quietly switched off the lights in the House. Plunged in darkness, the MPs continued to exercise their own creative freedom. They knew that their sterling performance would not be watched by millions of TV viewers. But committed to art for art’s sake, they continued to perform.
Eventually, the Speaker served privilege notices on 32 of the most active performers among MPs. He ordered them out of the House. All the MPs protested. Some of them displayed great creativity. They sat in the House with their forefingers pressed against their lips to signify silence. Like kindergarten children, they exhibited their innocence through this cute form of protest. It was a moving performance! We learnt later that they were inspired by Gandhian thought. Not of the old Mahatma, but of actor Sanjay Dutt. The latter did so much more than Mahatma Gandhi to popularise non-violence! These MPs posed with forefingers against lips for the cameras. Congress and BJP leaders pleaded with the Speaker to relent. Overcome with emotion, the Speaker obliged.
Fortunately, after this drama, it was back to normal. After twelve years of trying, the Women’s Reservation Bill was finally introduced. The Bill is controversial. Those who opposed it, justifiably, thought that since it could not achieve consensus in twelve years, it was hardly likely to do so now. Anxious not to waste Parliament’s valuable time through a fruitless debate, they exercised their freedom most creatively. They wrestled to attempt tearing up the paper on which the Bill was written. Had they succeeded, would the Bill have been cancelled? Although they failed, they caused much merriment among the laughing women MPs present in the House.
There could be killjoys who question how our MPs exercise freedom. They are advised to remain silent. If honourable MPs believe they have been subjected to contempt they can throw the offender in jail.
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
