- Parties need to ensure attendance of at least 50% of their legislators all through the proceedings of the Houses by adopting a roster system.
- Review of anti-defection law.
- Review of the whip system which is “stifling reasonable dissent even on non-consequential matters”.
- Set up special courts for time-bound adjudication of criminal complaints against legislators.
- Pre and post legislative impact assessment.
- Address problem of rising number of legislators with criminal background.
- Governments should be responsive to opposition and opposition to be responsible and constructive while resorting to available parliamentary instruments
- Consensus on the proposal for simultaneous elections.
- Steps should be taken for the effective functioning of the Parliamentary Committees.
- The representation of women in legislatures needs to be raised.
Challenges and concerns:
The present pitfalls of our parliamentary democracy are too well known to be elaborated. Briefly, these include:
- Declining number of sittings of legislatures.
- Persistent disruptions.
- Declining quality of debates.
- Growing number of legislatures with criminal record.
- High degree of absenteeism.
- Inadequate representation of women.
- Rising money and muscle power in elections.
- Lack of inner democracy in functioning of the political parties.
- Poor knowledge, low argumentative power of the masses, negative influences of poverty and economic disparities.
- Faulty ‘First Pass the Post (FPTP) election system.
- Society’s perpetual habit of accepting all permeable state to control public and private affairs.