The Parliament Hiren Mukherjee wanted us to protect

Hiren Mukherjee's book, Portrait of Parliament: Reflections and Recollections (1952-77), serves as a warning to modern democracies about the deteriorating state of parliamentary functioning. The book underscores the importance of preserving parliamentary dignity and accountability in an era where executive power is increasingly concentrated.

Mukherjee lamented the diminishing role of parliamentary debate and the erosion of institutional memory, warning that if Parliament fails to protect its own essence, its powers will also be imperiled. Today, these concerns seem more relevant than ever, as politics has become a battle of mutual demonization, and Parliament has followed suit.

The decline of parliamentary functioning can be attributed to several symptoms. First, there is a concentration of power within the executive, causing the relation between government and Parliament to invert. The Opposition, once intended to be a watchdog, now often finds itself treated as an inconvenience. Second, there is a decline in parliamentary debate, with much communication designed for circulation outside the House rather than persuasion within it.

Finally, the erosion of parliamentary committees and other mechanisms of scrutiny has weakened the institution's ability to scrutinize and slow down power.