Describing it as the Central institution in a democracy, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee cautioned people against attempts to denigrate Parliament. Speaking at the Kapoor Chandra Kulish journalism awards function of the Rajasthan Patrika here on Wednesday, Chatterjee said any attempt to “diminish the importance of Parliament or to stifle its proper functioning is not only an attack on the foundations of our democratic existence but also on our basic constitutional edifice”.Mindful of the current popular perception of the manner in which the legislature functions, Chatterjee was forthright enough to concede, “I am not suggesting that our Parliament can be emulated as an example of ideal behaviour. There is tremendous scope for improvement within it.” “However, that can happen not by denigrating the institution as such, but by encouraging well-meaning and committed people, particularly our youth, to enter the portals of our democratic institutions,” he said. He stressed that “our representative institutions will only reflect the larger society they represent and we cannot expect a total disconnect between the two”.The Speaker felt, “Undoubtedly, it is the primary duty of the legislators to sustain the dignity and image of Parliament, but that responsibility does not rest exclusively with them. Preservation of the image and identity of the institutions should become a core concern for all institutions of democracy.”Chatterjee agreed that the country’s polity today “is overtaken by extremely partisan and confrontational politics”. “There is an atmosphere of intolerance, if not hatred, to each other, which is substantially affecting the political morality of our country.” He called upon the media to help isolate “forces of disruption and divisiveness”.
