The idea of televising the entire proceedings of the House has walked the corridors of the Indian Parliament for some time. It seems, now, that Speaker Somnath Chatterjee may have decided to open the doors and let it in. This is welcome, for two sets of reasons. One, Parliament, live, promises to take us closer to a more transparent and more accountable politics and enhance public access to information on issues and policies that affect us all. Two, the camera will act as a check on indisciplined behaviour on the floor of the House. But having said that, it would be unfortunate, indeed, if the first set of reasons should be overwhelmed by the second — that is, if the proposal should be seen only as another way of turning the screw tighter on our political representatives.It is understandable that there should be growing gloom about Parliament’s ability to function as a deliberative forum for the nation. It has been a long while since it has played host to a really great debate. It has become the arena, instead, from which parliamentarians regularly stage the walk-out, after they are done with the slogan-raising. Important bills are passed with just the bare quorum in place; discussions meander listlessly for lack of meaningful attendance, or participation. Yes, Parliament is an institution in decline and we need to think of ideas to revive it. We need longer sessions, and more number of sessions. We need to put in place a more demanding relationship with our representatives, and put a premium on new ideas and debate. But it would be naive to think that the live telecast of proceedings alone will do it all for us. In the West, TV cameras were installed inside many parliaments, mainly to rekindle the citizen’s dwindling interest in politics, and to allow politicians to vault over private media interests to establish a direct intimacy with the public. Experience, there, has suggested the dangers too — of political debate reworking its script for greater televisuality, of the political party being edged out of the frame by its telegenic member. We will need to negotiate those mines as well. A small price to pay, surely, for the larger promise of greater openness and accountability.
