Arun Shourie is right. The rot started when the 400+ strong Rajiv Gandhi government outshouted the opposition. BJP has only mastered the art to perfection. Needless to mention, Congress gave them enough ammunition to do so. Congress has been one step ahead in compromising the authority of other constitutional positions: President, CVC, CEC et al. As for the regional parties, they have been the worst blackmailers in this coalition-era environment.

If the House has to be adjourned, let a working day be added to the session to that the work can go on after the Opposition has had the satisfaction of raising its points through this "democratic protest". Moreover, anyone with less than 40% attendance should be disqualified from contesting the next election.

 Anwaar >> Strengthen the institution of Parliament? To do that you need people who understand the crucial importance of Parliament, not those who think only of the next election.

How can we have a strong institution in our Parliament, when the leading political parties (except the BJP, Left, JDU and a couple of parties) are nothing but outfits to promote some dynasties ?

The strengthening of Parliament is possible only if one of the two happens 1) Congress is wiped out of existence in its current form or 2) Congress, the party that has ruled INdia for 58 plus years gets rid of its incompetent, anti national dynasty and gets its 21st century equivalent of LB Shastri or PVN Rao.

Arun,

That is like saying, "Elections to Parliament are important, but Parliament is not important!"

Anwaar writes .... "To do that you need people who understand the crucial importance of Parliament, not those who think only of the next election."

But that is the catch-22, when democracy is only about elections - winners, losers (may be more aptly whiners). BTW, this is true worldwide, all politicians want to win the next election and they will do what they believe will get them elected. It is for the people to decide "what will get them elected". Our electorate so far elects on old world items - family, caste, religion. Items of the past - not vision/ideas of the future. That is why the saying - "a people get the leaders they deserve".

Anyways, the best path for us forward is elections. Otherwise, the shenanigans being played is guaranteed to be played. With elections we might still be at the same place or there is a chance of change.

 "Can a country like India be run like that? "

Shourie is completely missing the point here. The first requisite is not a functioning parliament-but a functioning Executive. Anyone who cares to look knows the Manmohan Singh is not a functioning one. And without a functioning Executive, a parliament-functioning or otherwise is meaningless.

So there is no need to cry over our parliament not functioning. The bigger question is about the Executive.