‘Assaulted my very idea of parliamentary democracy’: Deve Gowda writes to Sonia Gandhi; flags ‘far too many disruptions’ in Parliament | India News

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and Rajya Sabha MP HD Deve Gowda wrote a letter on Monday Congress MP Sonia Gandhi He expressed concern over what he described as “chaos” in Parliament and its premises. In his letter, Gowda shared that he was “very disturbed” by the development in Parliament, which he blamed primarily on the opposition parties. The former prime minister also added that Parliament, in recent times, has seen too much disruption.“I am extremely disturbed by a certain chaos which has been introduced within the Parliament and in its larger premises primarily by the opposition parties,” Gowda wrote.He warned that such moves could have far-reaching implications for democratic institutions. “I am not sure if you can imagine the consequences of such uncontrolled activity and circulation of negative energy. I honestly think, it can greatly damage the foundation of our democracy and leave a trail of indefinite bitterness,” he said.Gowda said he initially refrained from writing because he hoped the situation would resolve itself. “The reason I wasn’t too sure about writing to you was because I thought things might settle down with the wisdom of time. But, I’m afraid, I see no sign of correction,” he said.Urging Sonia Gandhi to intervene, the former prime minister appealed to her seniority and experience in the opposition. “I don’t want to put anyone down, or diminish anyone’s role or enthusiasm. But I request you, who is the biggest in the opposition, to use your wealth of political experience and maturity to speak to your party leaders and others,” he wrote.Gowda also reflected on his long political career, saying he spent most of his public life in the opposition. “As you know I started my career at the grassroots of our democratic institutions, and in all have spent 65 years of my life as a MLA and Member of Parliament. This may be the last parliamentary session of my life,” he wrote.He also said that there has been too much disruption in Parliament in recent times. “Slogan-shouting, display of placards and name-calling have been witnessed in Parliament in recent times. There has been an attitude of non-seriousness, which in my opinion has attacked the very structure of Parliament and parliamentary democracy,” Gowda wrote.He said that Gandhi may ask the opposition leaders to reconsider their view on the protest in Parliament. “You can probably tell them not to harm themselves, their cause and in the long run their political future,” Gowda said.Insisting that the protests were a legitimate part of parliamentary democracy, Gowda said they must be conducted in a manner that “does not destroy what we have built together in more than 75 glorious years”.