It is unfortunate for democracy to have a scuffle in the Parliament House.

 In a large and diverse democracy like India, the Parliament has a supreme place. It is the platform where the major policies of the country are made, where there is a dialogue between the government and the opposition and where decisions are taken about the rights and future of the common citizens, but the kind of picture that emerged inside the Parliament after the 'Ambedkar statement' of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, this incident is definitely going to shame not only Indian politics but also our democracy.

In fact, while concluding the debate organized in Parliament on the completion of 75 years of adoption of the Constitution, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Now it has become a fashion. Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If you had taken this much name of God, you would have got heaven for seven lives." The opposition got angry with this small part of a long speech by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the discussion on the Constitution. After this, there was a huge uproar in the House and there was a heated argument between the two sides and the matter reached to pushing and shoving. This scene was not only an insult to the dignity of Parliament, but it was also extremely unfortunate for Indian democracy.

The opposition parties said that the Home Minister's statement was against the ideology of Dr. Ambedkar and it hurt his reputation. They said that Shah made this statement deliberately so that Ambedkar's contribution could be reduced for political gain. In this context, the opposition termed Shah's statement as unfortunate and insensitive. At the same time, the ruling party refuted this allegation and said that Amit Shah had only referred to Ambedkar's contribution, and his statement was not intended to insult in any way. They said that the opposition deliberately escalated the matter and disrupted the proceedings of the House.

Surprisingly, this incident was not limited to just a rhetoric, but it also hurt the dignity of Parliament and the democratic values ​​of India. Parliament is a serious and dignified institution, where there may be ideological differences between the ruling party and the opposition, but this debate should be based on civility and logic. In the chaos, both the opposition and the ruling party crossed their limits. The jostling situation proved that the members of Parliament are losing the ideals and importance of Parliament. Is this appropriate for a large democracy like India? Is this not a negative step towards democratic dialogue?

Not only one party can be held responsible for this incident, but both the ruling party and the opposition are responsible. It would not be wrong to say that while the opposition created a ruckus using its right to criticize, the ruling party saw it as a neglectful and provocative reaction, which cannot be called logical at all. The leaders of both the parties tried to solve it through jostling instead of any argument and discussion, which was completely inappropriate and completely opposite to the direction of healthy dialogue of democracy.

The Home Minister is sitting on a big post, he should have understood the impact of that word before making such a statement. It is his responsibility to choose his words not only from the political point of view, but also from the social and cultural point of view. While making statements about historical figures like Dr. Ambedkar, attention should be paid to every word, because Ambedkar is a source of inspiration for crores of people in Indian society. At the same time, the opposition also adopted the path of uproar and protest instead of a positive and ideological debate, due to which they also put themselves in a wrong position and the situation reached till FIR. Every citizen and party has the right to protest, but this protest should be done peacefully and democratically.

It has become clear from this incident that the institutions of Indian democracy are failing to move towards their maturity. The kind of uproar that happened in the Parliament will hollow the roots of democracy. The purpose of an institution like Parliament is to resolve disputes and differences with peace and logic, and not to take it to physical conflict. This shows that our leaders are lacking political decorum and culture of dialogue. In a democracy where everyone has the right to express their views, the direction of the conversation should be decided by respecting that right, and violent and aggressive language should not be used. To maintain the stability and dignity of Indian democracy, we will have to develop respect and understanding for our institutions.

Parliament will have to be made a place for thoughtful and rational debate, and not a platform where there is more politics than physical violence or debate. Leaders will have to present their views in a restrained and responsible manner. At the same time, the opposition will also have to understand that in a democracy there are many ways to register protest against the government, but it should be without compromising the dignity of the legislature and the respect for democracy. Such incidents give us an opportunity to understand how important it is for the healthy functioning of democratic institutions and the mature work of leaders. Both the ruling party and the opposition will have to understand their responsibility and work towards running the Parliament according to its dignity and purpose. Only then will our democracy become strong and effective.