The Significance of Parliamentary Debates in Indian Democracy

The just-concluded general elections have once again proven the vitality of Indian democracy. The democratic process has established that the democratic institutions of this country are more than capable of giving all sections of society a voice, especially the marginalized.

With the formation of a new government, parliamentary processes have kicked in. 

With that, the formal process of political communication between electors and the elected has also begun. Parliamentary debates are an important element of this.

There is no denying the fact that in this day-and-age of electronic media, both conventional and social, there is no dearth of instruments available for political messaging. This has led some political commentators to question the relevance of parliamentary debates. 

They contend that these often repeat what has already been said in the public sphere by political campaigners, party spokespersons and Members of Parliament (MPs), and there is nothing new that these debates offer in terms of either political positions or information.

They also question the ‘deliberative effect’ of such debates, since instances of a climbdown or revision of a previously-held position by an opponent in the light of what German political thinker Jurgen Habermas called “the better argument» are few and far between.

This might be true to an extent, as parliamentary debates are no paragons of Habermasian virtue—which aims for an ‘Ideal Speech Situation,’ where participants are swayed by reason and reason alone. Politics being ‘essentially contested,’ such a situation is neither feasible nor desirable. 

But what such opinions ignore is the unique ability of parliamentary debates not only to provide a multi-perspective view on political issues, but also impart authenticity to the positions taken by national political players by making them official. This kind of validity is not available to expressions and assertions of a political stance in other mediums such as the news media. 

Positions taken in Parliament are what act as a record for the electorate to assess the conduct of political representatives. In the absence of such clarity, it would be difficult for the electorate to evaluate their work and vote accordingly. 

Statements and assertions made elsewhere, though important, do not serve as concrete indicators to help a voter reward or punish a representative. Moreover, political statements and assertions made by political players elsewhere run the risk of being lost amid vast waves of media messages.

As for the other purpose of parliamentary debates, critics are not entirely off the mark when they say that these discussions are not deliberative, as they neither influence opponents to revise their positions, nor help in reaching a consensus.