How About A Smart Parliament?

How About A Smart Parliament?

Now that a few of our cities are getting smart and perhaps all other cities would soon follow, maybe we should also look at making our Parliament smart too. No need to mention here that the Parliamentarians are already smart and don’t require to get any smarter.

Sir Edward Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker designed the Parliament building in the years which followed  the shifting of capital to New Delhi.  All going well the Parliament House will celebrate its centenary in 2028 i.e. towards the end of 18^th Lok Sabha provided off course the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th Lok Sabhas run their tenure without any mid-term elections in any of those.

It is said that some initial thinking about reconstruction of the Parliament House is already on. Maybe the powers that be may find it fit to ask for some suggestions from commoners like us.

First of all, I feel making the MPs attend the session in person should be done away with. We could use the available technology to allow MPs from both houses to log in remotely from their respective hometowns via video-conferencing and participate in the house proceedings, discussions, debates and voting.

This will bring in a sweeping change in a number of practices which have got entrenched in the Indian polity. 

1.       Government will not have to provide a huge number of dwellings to the MPs in Delhi where there is a perpetual shortage of real estate. A large number of MPs get so emotionally attached to their dwelling that they tend to retain the same even after their term is over.  Each MP has his own staff to support his activities. So all in all, a huge amount of very costly real estate can  be thus released.

2.       Poor MPs have to travel frequently between Delhi and their hometowns to keep in touch with their respective constituencies. With this arrangement the MPs will find it easier to have their finger on the pulse of the electorate. Off course Indian Airlines will lose a substantial amount of captive clientele but think positively, the raison d’être for Indian Airlines itself will be gone and maybe the Government will be able to view the issue whether to provide parachutes periodically to the Maharaja, a bit more objectively. 

3.       At present, lobbyists have it easy since all the MPs are available at one location. With this ‘decentralization’ of MPs, maybe the lobbyists will not have it that easy and just maybe the matters can move on their own merit.

4.       Babus in various ministries will probably b able to work a little more freely without this MP or that telling them what to do or what not to do.

5.       With so many high powered VIPs out of the way, the Delhi traffic will ease out and common man may be able to move around a little more freely without having to wait for the VIP cavalcades to pass.

6.       As the number of vehicles on roads reduce (VIPs, their staff and visitors) the fight against pollution will also get a leg up and Arvind Kejriwal need not impose the odd-even rule again.    

I am sure there must be a lot more plus points of such a move which elude me at the moment. I also hesitate putting a monetary value to such a move but I am sure it must run to thousands of crores of rupees per year. Some economist can surely get his/ her PhD if he / she were to take up this issue for his /her doctoral thesis.  

My friend Guy Wise, a hard-core skeptic as he is, is certain that such a suggestion is sure to land in the trash can. “My dear, have you thought of how this would affect the health of our MPs? let's see. No shouting slogans.. how will they exercise their vocal chords? No tearing up of papers... no rushing to the Well of the House...how will they get any exercise at all. Moreover no subsidized canteen food to sustain them!!!”        

LazyBee

6^th Feb 2016