Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the lathicharge on CJP protesters. He raised questions on the use of force on non-violent protests and demanded discussion on burning issues in Parliament. Tharoor said that the opposition should get a chance to present its views.
New Delhi [भारत]July 20 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday expressed concern over the lathicharge on Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters and questioned the use of force against non-violent protesters. He urged the government to allow discussion on “burning issues” in Parliament. Tharoor condemned the use of force against peaceful protesters and argued that just as protests should remain non-violent, Parliament should also logically represent the voice of the people by prioritizing discussion on urgent national issues.
Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, “When a non-violent protest is taking place, what is the reason for lathi charge? Lathi charge is not an act of non-violence. It is an act of violence. I don’t understand the logic of it. Similarly, everyone here in Parliament knows that these are burning issues across the country. It would be logical to discuss these. Parliament is supposed to be the place where we can express the voice of the people, the concerns of the people. Once we do that If we do, we all know that the government has the majority.”
Parliament cannot become a notice board
Tharoor attributed the disruption in the House to the government’s refusal to hold the discussion. He stressed that Parliament should act as a deliberative forum for debate rather than acting as a mere notice board for passing government bills without scrutiny.
He said, “But right now, today’s disruption has happened just because of the denial of a discussion because the opposition wanted to raise these issues, wanted an opportunity to talk about them on the floor of the House. If Parliament is not there to raise these issues, then honestly, what is it for? I mean, it can’t just be a kind of notice board for the government to announce its bills and get them passed by rubber stamping. That’s not what Parliament is meant to be. It should be such a forum. Where all these ideas can be heard, discussed, debated as necessary and then passed.”
‘The opposition should get a chance to express its views’
He emphasized the democratic principle that even if the government has the majority to pass laws, the opposition should be given a platform to raise the concerns of the people of their constituency and debate the policies before the law is made. He said, “As the old saying goes, the opposition should be given a chance to express its views because the government will act as it wishes. They have the majority. But at least let Parliament be a forum where these concerns can be heard, they can be truly expressed and voiced, where different people can represent the views of their voters. Then the government can disagree.”
He further said, “The Prime Minister has sought cooperation from the opposition. We will cooperate if they cooperate. The idea should be that there should be mutual cooperation. They should allow some discussions. It should be give and take. This is how Parliament should work.”
Meanwhile, due to the uproar and disruption, the proceedings of both the houses were adjourned till 2 pm. (ANI)
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