SADDENED: Having covered Parliament since the early 1990s, I am deeply disappointed to see these images of a near-fracas between ruling party and opposition MPs in the Parliament precincts. This is what happens when: 1.Politics becomes hyper-polarised and hyper-partisan. 2.Central Hall — once a wonderful space for genuine inter-party conversation — is shut down. A crazy Covid-era decision that should be revoked ASAP. 3.The ruling party treats Parliament as a notice board, while the Opposition treats the House as its only forum to vent. 4.MPs cross from one side to the other with total impunity, simply to remain on the right side of power. 5.Too few MPs are willing to do the hard grind of parliamentary work. 6.Senior MPs and ministers fail to lead by example. Many of them don’t even come to the House as often as they should. 7. Those in the Chair, whose first duty should be to uphold the dignity and neutrality of the House, often fail to show even a modicum of impartiality. Parliament is not just about shouting across the aisle. It is also about talking across it. How one misses the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Somnath Chatterjee and Jaipal Reddy — stellar parliamentarians who relished the cut and thrust of debate, but also understood that political opponents need not be personal enemies. We are losing something far more valuable than parliamentary decorum: the culture of Parliament itself. VERY VERY TROUBLING in the 80th year of Independence. 🙏