THE COUNTRY'S CONSTITUTION bestows three major functions on Parliament. They are; legislative function, the control of public finance and the function of exercising control over the Executive.

If one were to prioritize the functions of Parliament, law making would head the list. India's First Lok Sabha (1952-57), studies have shown, devoted 49 percent of its time to legislative business. This slumped to 28 percent in Eighth Lok Sabha and hovered at an all time low of just 16 percent in the Ninth Lok Sabha have had lesser and lesser time for legislative business.

Parliamentary functions
A similar trend is visible in the area of control over pubic finance. Over the years, the time that the House has been devoting to this task has been on the decline. While the First Lok Sabha devoted 19 percent of its time to discuss and pass the general budget, the railway budget and the budgets of states under central rule, the Second and Third Lok Sabha set apart 25 percent of their time to these tasks. This declined to an all time low of 16 percent in the Ninth Lok Sabha.

The third major function of the Lok Sabha is to exercise control over the Executive. The time spent on Questions hour can be a barometer of the efficacy of the mechanism of parliamentary surveillance over the executive. But there too is evident a disturbing trend. The first three Lok Sabha spent 15 percent of their time on questions. This went up to 16 percent in the Fourth Lok Sabha. Thereafter it declined to 13 percent in the Eighth Lok Sabha and to 10 percent in the Ninth.

Question Hour is 'Evasion Hour'
The Question Hour is the most important hour, according to most of the parliamentarians and the ministers. It can make or mar a ministerial career. With the decline in parliamentary standard, a drastic slashing has taken place in the number of questions being admitted and answered rally as the Lok Sabha has moved from its 1st to 10th incarnation.

In First Lok Sabha the questions admitted and answered orally during Questions Hour was "normally 20-25". This in Tenth Lok Sabha has come o, on an average, five. For this disturbing trend both MPs and ministers are equally responsible. While MPs instead of asking pointed instead of asking pointed questions get in making impromptu speeches; Ministers too have got into an equally exasperating habit of reading out long winded replies with the twin objective of tiring out their listeners and consuming precious Question Hour time in order to limit the chances of more questions coming up for oral answers.

The popularity of Question Hour, however, among MPs has gone up further with the televising of it since 1993. During every session of Parliament Question Hour in each House is shown on alternate weeks on Doordarshan. MPs report that the decision to televise Question Hour has, for the first time, provided their constituents an opportunity to watch them at work.

'Questions Banks' courtesy business houses
Televising of Questions Hour, however, has induced an unhealthy competition among the MPs. It is next to impossible for an MP to draft five or more questions per day. A few of them employ secretaries who draft questions, obtain their signatures and desp0atch them to the Lok Sabha Secretariat. But a large number of MPs sign blank form and leave it with the parliamentary party staffs. Officials working for parliamentary parties are known to "prepare banks".

It is acknowledged by several MPs that industrial houses have perfected the art of resting their guns on the shoulders of MPs and that many of their colleagues willingly offer their services to such corporate entities. A very simple and easy way of "helping" an industrial house is t give its liaison man signed blank question forms. The industrial house, in turn, frames the questions - company - and has it sent in.

Vijay Kumar Raju, MP, says that most questions are stereotyped and are constantly recycled by MPs. "Bundles of question forms are signed and sent to business houses. MPs don't even know what questions are asked. These MPs are paid by business houses for this facility. There is a price for withdrawing the question also".

Hero of the Zero Hour
The Zero Hour is the moment of truth for the government of the day. This is the time which MPs usurp to push through unlisted business in the House. When the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Chairman signal the end of Question Hour at the stroke of 12, all hell breaks loose in the two Houses. What actually transpires is that the opposition zeroes in on a couple of stories in the morning papers that have the potential to embarrass the government.

India's opposition parties are impatient with any procedures. They have to put the government in dock at any cost. The "burning issue" of today may be a dead issue tomorrow because the nation's attention is diverted on something far more catastrophic that may have occurred thereafter.

What follows is a slanging match and the winners are those who have stronger lung power. The Zero Hour many parliamentarians, who are shrill and articulate, have gained notoriety. When they sharpen their vocal chords and consistently top the charts, they acquire a larger than life image. They then become the newsmakers in Parliament and the national press gleefully confers the title of "Hero of the Zero Hour" on the loudest and the most persistent obstructionist.

'More the nonsense, greater the publicity'
The Zero Hour fever has caught up in the Upper House as well, ending its staid and dull existence. The change came about with the Congress' decision in the 1980s to induct young blood into the "House of Elders".

With the motto "More the nonsense, greater the publicity" MPs go on making the arliamentary system a mockery. And as long as MPs indulge in this farcical display of their concern, India will remain a talking democracy and can never become a functioning democracy. No one really knows when and how the Zero Hour began but it is rooted in India's social and political reality. Prime Minister Rao while being queried about this bizarre interregnum in India's parliament had said "This is Indian contribution to parliamentary procedure".

20 members make a house?
'When (the) most important bills are passed in the small hours of the morning, the ministers have very little to do in piloting their bills and defending their provisions. All they have to do is keep awake with wide yawns'.

This is a quote from the Prime Minister's speech at a conference of presiding officers, party leaders and whips and the ministers for parliamentary affairs. 'So, while the world sleeps, Indian Parliament siogs, legislating on the destinies of the people.'

Something must indeed be seriously wrong if the Prime Minister says that his ministers need hardly exert themselves to push through legislation in Parliament!

MPs are aware of prevailing problem. In a recently conduct survey sixty-two percent said they were conscious of the fact that the House legislates without quorum. All of them said they were aware of the constitutional provisions relating to quorum, but few felt disturbed by the fact the House took its legislative functions so causally.

'Unethical Agreement'
The apathy of members is not just confined to law making. It can even extend t issues, which have a vital bearing on the nation's security.

Bandaru Dattaraya says, "Most MPs are unaware of what is on the agenda after Zero Hour. It takes half on hour to read parliamentary papers that come early in the morning. In the afternoon only those MPs who are to participate in the debates stay on in the House." In England, Sharad Dighe says, tyhere is not voting without quorum. Earlier quorum was ensured when bills were passed. It is most unfortunate that now bills are passed. It is most unfortunate that now bills are passed without quorum, said Rasheed Masood. Sometimes bills are passed even without discussion. There is no quorum, particularly in the second half (of the day) and this is by mutual agreement. Manoranjan Bhakta also talks of an "unethical agreement" that exists among all political parties that nobody will make an issue of the lack of quorum in the House. Thus, "nobody morality is pinched".

'Nobody's morality is pinched'
How do our MPs perform their most elementary duty-that of being present in the House at critical moments? Evidence points to some distressing, conclusions.

The Lok Sabha transacts much of its business without quorum.
The House has no inhibitions in pushing through legislation in the absence of quorum and
The Lok Sabha consistently and nonchalantly violates articles 100 (3) and 100 (4) of the Constitution of India.

There is a set pattern to the attendance levels in the Lok Sabha during the day. The maximum attendance is during the Question Hour and the boisterous Zero Hour that follows - but even here though every part of the large chamber looks well tenanted the average turnout is around 150 to 200 MPs. The Lok Sabha transacts much of its work in the post lunch session but the attendance touches abysmally low levels in the afternoon. Thus, when the House gets down to performing its law making role, it is siesta time for most MPs. Through out the 1980s, the average attendance during this period has been around 25 to 30 MPs.