I understand why a small and fragmented Opposition sometimes feels compelled to take aggressive measures inside Parliament to get the government's attention, particularly when much of the mainstream media appears to function more like a government mouthpiece than an independent watchdog.
I also understand the larger frustration.
This government has not exactly set the highest standards of parliamentary accountability. The Speaker may not always appear entirely impartial. Asking difficult questions can sometimes feel like a crime, and getting straight answers can feel like a favour.
But there is a larger question we cannot ignore.
Can disruption of Parliament become a permanent strategy?
Because when Parliament stops functioning, the Opposition may be making its own job harder. E20. Paper leaks. Delimitation. FCRA. Questions of governance, accountability and policy that affect millions of Indians.
These issues need to be debated on the floor of the House. They need questions. They need answers. They need the government to be put on record.
A dysfunctional Parliament ultimately means a dysfunctional democracy.
The Opposition has every right to protest. It has every right to dissent. It has every right to challenge the government aggressively. But there has to be a method of doing so without permanently paralysing the institution through which that challenge is supposed to happen.
Otherwise, there is an uncomfortable possibility.
The Opposition may actually be playing into the hands of a government that has never been particularly enthusiastic about answering difficult questions.
If Parliament does not function, who benefits from the silence?
And more importantly, who pays the price?
The answer is not the government alone.
It is the country.