Contemnor’s privilege

The summons issued by the privileges committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to Ronen Sen, India‚s ambassador in Washington, to appear before them on October 29 and November 2 for breach of parliamentary privilege, is an indication of the exaggerated and unwarranted respect that New Delhi‚s red pilot car light and VIP culture generates within the national capital‚s establishment. Readers may recall that at the height of the national debate of the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement which is vehemently opposed by the communist parties, at a Washington press conference, Sen reportedly said that members of Parliament were running about like “headless chickens” over the issue.This innocuous ‚ and perhaps too accurate ‚ remark generated widespread indignation within both houses of Parliament and particularly within the tightly knit fraternity of 66 MPs of the two communist parties ‚ the CPI and CPM ‚ whose support in the Lok Sabha is critical to the survival of the Congress-led 17-party coalition government which reigns in New Delhi. But why this extraordinary sensitivity when every member of Parliament is well aware that because of their persistently unruly behaviour, disruption of scheduled sessions and marked inability to seriously debate legislation and issues of great importance, there is widespread disillusionment with Parliament, and perhaps parliamentary democracy?For instance during the recently truncated monsoon session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha should have been in session for six hours daily for 23 days, but it worked for only 17 days averaging a mere four hours per day. Likewise the Rajya Sabha should have worked for five hours per day, but it averaged only three hours. And it‚s pertinent to note that every minute of lost parliamentary time costs citizens Rs.20,000.Therefore the monsoon session of Parliament cost the public exchequer a whopping Rs.16 crore in time out.In the circumstances, it‚s somewhat ironic for MPs who don‚t respect Parliament themselves, to be so quick to pull up others for alleged contempt of Parliament. But not a word more. Because while Sen will fly to Delhi at the taxpayer‚s expense to answer before the privilege committees of Parliament, if hauled up for contempt, your editor will have to pay his own way. Rajnikant‚s responseThe outrageous racial abuse directed at Australian test cricketer of West Indian origin Andrew Symonds by large contingents of spectators who packed stadiums which hosted the recently concluded Indo-Australia test series and ODIs (one day internationals), displayed the ugly face of Indian society ‚ and education ‚ to television audiences worldwide.Although the country‚s moribund socialism-inspired education system which doesn‚t teach bourgeois good manners is largely to blame, the role of several heavyweight multinational companies which profit mightily by vending a plethora of skin whitening/lightening creams and potions countrywide, can‚t be minimised either. By arousing atavistic colour prejudice and plumbing deep insecurites of an inadequately educated population,a slew of high-profile but amoral MNCs including Hindustan Unilever, Beirdorf AG, L‚Orealand several indigenous me-too corporates such as Emami, Elder Healthcare etchave created a huge Rs.1,150 crore national market for fairness…