Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan found herself in the eye of the storm last week after she delivered two almost identical rulings on consecutive days
expunging jibes targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A heated debate followed, with an enraged Opposition unitedly questioning her on Thursday on whatever was “unparliamentary” in Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann’s remark that ending farmers’ suicides and the agrarian crisis would require more than a ‘Mann Ki Baat’, in a reference to Mr. Modi’s monthly radio broadcast. In the end, Ms. Mahajan was forced to retreat, saying she did not object to criticism of the Prime Minister — she just wished to emphasise that every issue should not be “politicised”. She agreed to examine the records, saying that if the context permitted such a comment, she would restore it. That has since been done, and Mr. Mann’s words are now part of the parliamentary record. Earlier she acknowledged that she had repeatedly told MPs it was wrong to refer to the Prime Minister in every discussion. On Wednesday, a remark by Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Mr. Modi during a discussion on attacks on minorities had invited expunction by Ms. Mahajan.
In the 11 months since the Modi government came to power, the growing tension between Ms. Mahajan and the Opposition has been palpable, with many MPs expressing their dismay — if informally — at what they describe as the “partisan” attitude of the Chair. There have been occasions when Ms. Mahajan has directed the switching off of microphones mid-speech; her invocation of “Om Shanti” after obituary references has invited comment. But on Thursday it all exploded in the House in the full glare of the television cameras. In a parliamentary democracy the Speaker’s role is well-defined: once elected, she is expected to detach herself from government activity to run the House impartially. The Rules characterise the Speaker as “the true guardian of the traditions of parliamentary democracy”, stressing that her decisions are “final and binding and ordinarily cannot be questioned, challenged or criticised”. While giving “adequate opportunities to all sections of the House to ventilate their views”, she must “preserve the dignity of the House”. Mr. Modi is neither the first Prime Minister — nor will he be the last — to face Opposition fire in Parliament. Since Independence every Prime Minister has faced criticism. This was true also of Nehru, who enjoyed an absolute majority and enormous public esteem. Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was regularly pilloried in Parliament, would, like all his predecessors, defend himself. Mr. Modi, who has positioned himself as a strong leader, does not need the protection of the Chair. As for the Speaker, she must not just be just, she must be seen to do justice.
