The no confidence debate showed govt-opposition acrimony has reached new levels. Parliament can look at other democracies’ legislatures for ways to reduce political noise

The no confidence motion is a rarely used parliamentary tool opposition uses to hold government accountable. In the 75 years of our Parliament, there have been 28 of them, including the one on which the discussion concluded on August 10. The debate on these motions is sharp and expansive, covering many aspects of government functioning.

The timing also impacts the kind of debate that takes place. This year’s no confidence discussion and those in 2018 and 2003 occurred in the monsoon session before the general elections. Therefore political parties used the debate to sound the bugle for their upcoming election campaigns. But apart from the “who said what”, the 20-hour debate spread over three days offers a broader lens to examine our parliamentary system’s functioning.

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