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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One step forward, two steps backward. That seems to be the result of the efforts made by the BJP in Kerala which seemed to have taken a decisive step towards realization of its long-standing dream of forging a third front in the state a few weeks back.

The monsoon session of Parliament got washed away. And, with it, the prospect of getting such important executive policy moves through Land Bill and GST introduction got further clouded. The BJP-led NDA government is already about 15-month old, spending 25 per cent of its normal tenure before the next Lok Sabha election. If any group is really upset with the poor legislative function of the country, it is the foreign direct investors who banked big on India after BJP acquired the controlling party position in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

The Scot novelist and essayist Robert Louis Stevenson had once said: “We all know what Parliament is, and we are also ashamed of it.” His satirical comment needs to be read in the context of the Indian Parliament’s functioning which has not been able to transact any important legislative business in last about five years. For its this ‘noble task’ (!) the people should be ‘grateful’ to our quarreling MPs whom they had elected to enact laws for efficient governance and for solving their problems. Both the former Congress-led UPA-II government and the incumbent BJP-led NDA government are responsible for their inexcusable non-performance.

For the average voter, the choice between the two major national parties, the BJP and the Congress, is an unattractive one since their biodata, if their history can be so called, have far too many flaws.

BHOPAL: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seems to have launched all out war against Divijay Singh, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. A few days back, almost two-decade0old case of suicide was dug up. Relations of Congress leader Sarla Mishra who died in mysterious circumstance met the Chief Minister touched his feel and demanded CBI enquiry to unravel the mystery of the death. Sarla Mishra alleged died due to burn injuries.

CHENNAI: Unperturbed over the long drawn-out disruptions in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five-hour visit to Chennai, ostensibly to launch the National Handloom Day on August 7, was turned to political advantage, his seeking AIADMK Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's support for GST and other reforms while the latter pushing Tamil Nadu concerns to the forefront.

What is estimated loss to the exchequer if an entire Lok Sabha session is washed out? It is staggering 81 crore rupees. Per hour cost of running Lok Sabha come to Rs. 1.5 crores. The largest numbers of MP – 63 – were suspended on March 3, 1989 followed by 16 on February 2, 2014. Now, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has suspended 25 Congress MPs for “persistently, willfully obstructing the house”.

Modi government’s intention to resolve the insurgency problem in the northeastern part of the country is laudable. Efforts are on and initial results have begun coming in. An historic accord has been signed with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah group) for permanent peace, ending the practice of routine renewal of ceasefire agreements. The accord has been historic in the sense that a framework agreement has been reached keeping aside all the contentious issues, including longstanding demand for Nagalim or Greater Nagaland.

Narendra Modi's penchant for depicting his adversaries in poor frame has put him in a really awkward situation. During his July 25 rally in Muzaffarpur he had commented: 'There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals.” Initially, no one took seriously Modi's jibe against Kumar. But after a week his remark has snowballed into a major controversy. Even those opposed to Nitish has refused to endorse Modi's rile. There is a general apprehension that it may trigger the worst form of election campaigning in the state.

Should the formula no-work-no-pay be applicable to the honorable Members of Parliament? Tourism and Culture minister Mahesh Sharma had dropped a bombshell recently in Varanasi that just like this formula was applied for bureaucrats, the government was mulling the option of stopping salaries if Parliament transacts no business because of disruption. However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has immediately contradicted him by stating that there is no such plan. Ironically, the BJP had vociferously opposed the same suggestion floated by the then ruling Congress after the BJP had 'wiped out' an entire session of Parliament in 2010. Therefore, it is clear that whether the ruling party or the opposition there is this problem of who will bell the cat. For example, the House of Commons follow a rule of withholding the salary of the suspended members. This idea is also catching up in other countries. In India even after suspension, members continue to get their salaries.