India, July 21 -- Every word of this column is dedicated to the honourable Members of Parliament (MPs). They have been sent to the hallowed halls of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha by doting voters. They deserve their title, but they should always remember that Parliament is the common heritage of the citizens of India. Parliamentarians are its custodians and nurturers, and they carry the responsibility of safeguarding people's interests and fulfilling the latter's wishes. However, the moot point is: Are our parliamentarians observing their most important duty? It seems the bitterness of street politics has seeped into Parliament. Disbelievers may look at this shocking data point. During the 17th Lok Sabha, the total work done amounted to 1,354 hours and 11 of the 15 sessions closed before scheduled time. It passed 222 bills and only 16% of them went to the standing committees. During the first Lok Sabha, every year, the house convened for 135 days; during the 17th, the number of days came down to about 55 days per year. The 17th Lok Sabha was in the news for a unique reason: the disqualification of five members, including Congress's Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra. All of them except Moitra returned to the House after the Supreme Court restored their memberships. A total of 146 parliamentarians from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were suspended due to various reasons. Even the House chairs came under severe criticism. The Opposition alleged that both chairs silenced the voices in Parliament they were supposed to protect and nurture. This isn't new, it is an old malady. In January 1985, Rajiv Gandhi came to power with a massive mandate of 404 seats. He instituted the Thakkar Commission to probe the assassination of former Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi, who was also Rajiv's mother. Till date, the full report hasn't been made public. Opposition leaders had collectively raised a voice at the time for making the report public. In retaliation, the then Lok Sabha Speaker, Balram Jakkhar, suspended 63 MPs. This was a first in Indian democracy, then just under four-decades old. Media outcry and social circles forced the ruling party to revoke the suspension the next day, but a tendency to misuse brute majority had taken root. Later, in the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha, a total of 50 members were suspended. This was the time when Manmohan Singh was the PM. The numbers increased dramatically in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha. It is not a case of us vs them. Parliament often gets bogged down by the unsavoury trend of jungle law when a little cooperation can achieve a lot. It is imperative to remind our venerable parliamentarians of their duty as the monsoon session commences. The monsoon session is going to be important. Some weeks ago, we had a military confrontation with Pakistan. Every confrontation or war leaves behind many suggestions, criticisms, and learning. What did the latest one teach us? How ready are we for future dangers? Citizens want joint answers from our government and parliamentarians as it is not a matter of simply the Treasury benches vs the Opposition; it is about national security. The session would also be dealing with other pressing internal issues and important bills. All of them are matters of public discourse, so I am not going into details. I am sure if our parliamentarians decide, they can easily find solutions to our intractable issues. Here, let me recall an incident when China attacked India in 1962. When our forces were fighting in freezing conditions without enough resources, Opposition members were attacking the government. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the gifted orator, was one of them. He even participated in demonstrations organised outside Parliament. The Opposition was convinced that Jawaharlal Nehru had failed to perform his duty as PM. They weren't protesting for the sake of mere criticism. If that had been the case, Vajpayee wouldn't have called PM Indira Gandhi "Durga" during the 1971 war with Pakistan. The war was at a decisive stage, and Vajpayee was firmly behind the government. The Congress party too reciprocated. In 1994, the PV Narasimha Rao government chose Vajpayee to lead the Indian delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission in order to defend India's position on Kashmir. Vajpayee performed his duty brilliantly. While talking about Nehru and Vajpayee, we should know that the former frequently praised the latter for his oratory skills even when Vajpayee criticised Nehru in his speeches. Everyone should read Vajpayee's eulogy of Nehru when the latter passed away. It says, "Bharat Mata is stricken with grief today - she has lost her favourite prince. Humanity is sad today - it has lost its devotee. Peace is restless today - its protector is no more. Dalits have lost their refuge. The common man has lost the light in his eyes. The curtain has come down." This isn't the time for bitterness but a time to move away from it. I firmly believe that the spirit of working together isn't completely extinguished. Let's look at a recent example of the budget session that ended in April 2025. On the last day, April 4, both the Houses of the Parliament showed exemplary unity and purpose. On that day, Lok Sabha's productivity stood at 118% while Rajya Sabha's was 119%. The Rajya Sabha scripted a unique feat when the day's proceedings began at 11 am and continued till 4.02 am the next day. Hopefully, the monsoon session, which begins today, will witness the same unity and purpose. I am sure our MPs would be favourably inclined to maintain or break this record of professionalism in the coming session too. Time, like a silent and fair but remorseless record keeper, is recording their deeds for posterity to judge....