It is unfortunate that vice president of India Hamid Ansari while presiding over a choreographed Rajya Sabha sitting for the debate on the Lokpal bill on Thursday failed in his duty by not taking any instant and strong action against Rajniti Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal when the latter snatched papers from hands of minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy. Close examination of video-footage can prove that the complete episode was rehearsed not only for giving the government a chance to save its face, but also to main opposition-party BJP whose double-speak had been exposed. It is for president of India in her dual capacity as head of parliament and the nation to take exemplary though extra-ordinary step against the erring parliamentarian to save people’s faith in parliamentary democracy.

Frequent disruptions and stalling of Parliament for extneded periods of time have become common feature of our parliament's functioning. These kill precious time for parliamentary debates. Violence in state-assemblies has also become a common feature. All this calls for abolishing immunity available to parliamentarians and state-legislatures for their activities inside the house by bringing these not only under normal law of land but also under Lokpal.

It becomes necessary because chairpersons and house-committees are often soft in ordering action against members for their unruly behaviour. This was evident last night when the Rajya Sabha chairperson did not take any action against Rajneeti Prasad for entering well of the house to tear the Lokpal Bill. Any such action by citizens outside parliament is termed ‘insult’ of the democracy's highest body. But was it not an insult of Parliament by a parliamentarian, that too during house  proceedings? Things can improve if rules of parliament are made stringent like for auto-termination of membership for such acts without leaving punitive action to the discretion of chairpersons and House-committees.

Abolishing immunity will have an effective check on fixing of parliament sittings by ruling and opposition parties on important bills. Most of our politicians baulk at the prospect of the passing of bills like the Lokpal and women's reservation, notwithstanding what they say in public. Also, it may be recalled that even supreme court acquitted parliamentarians involved in the infamous JMM-bribery case because the act of bribing parliamentarians was considered immune from court action with act done during Lok Sabha proceedings.