Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Ex Vice Prez Ansari Talks Muslims, Parliament, Islamophobia & Mohammad Deepak case and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
“It is not a pleasant sight to see on the television screen Parliament being disrupted. But actually, both sides are guilty,” said Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former Vice President of India, when asked about the complete breakdown of bonhomie between the government and the Opposition over the past few years.
Ansari’s criticism of the Houses, and the way parliamentary affairs are handled, came rather reluctantly.
“For many years since my retirement from the Rajya Sabha, I have generally refrained from commenting on the functioning of Parliament. But what you say is true. Things are not being done. The simple evidence is: how many days does Parliament sit? What once, upon a time, was 100 days is now 50 or 60. So where is the time for debate? Where is the time for discussion?” he said.
“Read the Constitution. Is there any mention of the word ‘bulldozer’ there? Look, there is a legal system in the country. It’s well spelt out. If an offence is committed by somebody, it is produced before a court, and the court gives a punishment. Where does the bulldozer come into it? Is there, in our Penal Code, any particular chapter talking about how a bulldozer will be used?” he asked.
“If somebody is having a Christmas prayer in a church, you disrupt it. If some set of Muslims go and pray for Eid prayers or any other prayer, it’s disrupted. So this is the kind of thing that is happening increasingly in our country and was not part of the scheme of things,” he said.