‘Assaulted on my idea of ​​parliamentary democracy’: Deve Gowda writes to Sonia Gandhi; labels Parliament ‘too much distraction’

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament HD Deve Gowda on Monday wrote a letter to congress member of congress Sonia Gandhi Concern over what he described as “chaos” within Parliament and its premises. In his letter, Gowda said he was “very disturbed” by the developments in Parliament, which he believed were largely the fault of the opposition parties. The former prime minister also added that there had been excessive chaos in Parliament recently.“I am deeply disturbed by the certain chaos that has been unthinkingly introduced into Parliament and its wider community, largely caused by the opposition,” Goda wrote.He warned that such actions could have wider consequences for democratic institutions. “I’m not sure you can imagine the consequences of this kind of uncontrolled activity and negative energy circulation. I honestly think it could be very damaging to the foundations of our democracy and leave an indelible bitter mark,” he said.Gowda said he initially did not write because he hoped the situation would resolve itself. “I was unsure whether to write to you because I thought things might settle down over time. However, I’m afraid I don’t see any signs of correction,” he said.The former prime minister urged Sonia Gandhi to intervene and use her seniority and experience in the opposition ranks. “I do not want to belittle anyone, or diminish anyone’s role or enthusiasm. But I urge you, as the oldest person in the opposition ranks, to use your considerable political experience and maturity to speak to your party leaders and others,” he wrote.Gowda also looked back on his long political career, saying he spent most of his public life in the opposition party. “As you know, I began my career at the grassroots level of our democratic institutions and spent a total of 65 years of my life as a legislator and parliamentarian. This may well be the last session of Parliament in my life,” he wrote.He also said there had been excessive chaos in Parliament recently. “In recent years, there has been too much sloganeering, placard-raising and name-calling in Parliament. There is a non-serious attitude which attacks my philosophy and conception of Parliament and parliamentary democracy,” Gowda wrote.He said Gandhi could ask opposition leaders to reconsider their approach to the parliamentary protests. “In the long run, you might be able to ask them not to harm themselves, their careers and their political futures,” Gowda said.Gowda stressed that the protests were a legitimate part of parliamentary democracy and said they must not be conducted in a manner that “undermines what we have built together over more than 75 glorious years”.