It works!


A bad foot meant that I was immobile and locked in one position this Monday. After flipping innumerable boring channels, I chanced upon one where all the action was. Lok Sabha tv, i knew this one existed, or atleast deserved to exist, just to showcase the tomfoolery of our elected representatives.I missed the PM speak, but then haven't most people over the last four years :) An economist who stays quiet is a dangerous sign, even more so if he's also the PM. His adversary and the fat book autobiographer was much more vocal today. Though, unlike the Advani we know, he made two fundamental mistakes. One to say that Pandit Nehru never signed the NPT, how could he when he died in 1964 and the NPT came into existence around 1970.The next was to expose the opportunistic politics of his govt by claiming that the Congress is a destabiliser. Pranab da cashed in well on these two and in true Bengali mishti style, drove home these two hard hitting points during his speech. The opposition benches were stunned into silence, a stoic Advani stoned. Pranab da had his embarasing moments too, bungling up on arithmetic when detailing the support that the UPA enjoys and also mixing up papers while he tried to throw facts and figures. But then have to say, he's earned respect in my eyes as an excellent debater. He played his senior role well, using a mix of facts and light humor to drive home valid points. The Left MP from Kolkata, Md Saleem put his party to shame,speaking as if arguing with a hilsa vendor who had reneged on his promise to give him a discount.
As the camera panned Parliament, one realised that some seats were empty, in fact lot of them. Some were dozing off to their hearts content, guess the deal isn't worth losing sleep over. Every MP on an average represents 2 million people. Every time he speaks, it, hopefully represents, 2 million voices atleast. Every time he sleeps, it represents, a lost opportunity for 2 million people.
When we criticise our politicians, we also sometimes trespass into the process and the system. Seeing the open debate today, it felt great to be part of an open democratic system where anyone could speak without being shot at.The quality of debate is pedestrian but then its better to speak than sleep

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