In my opinion, the system is perfect. No outside agency has any control over the proceedings in the legislature but this does not mean that there is no system in place to take care of misbehaviour on the floor of the Houses. There are enough internal measures in place to fix problems should they arise. The Speaker has control over the House and there are certain rules and procedures to be followed that are not dependant on anybody’s whims and fancies. The Speaker is an independent authority who decides what is right and what is wrong, but he too needs to follow the rules.

I agree that there are times when the members of the House do wrong, but this does not reflect any inefficiency in the system. While we accepted the Supreme Court’s judgement in the case of the disqualification of MLAs, its comments on the Speaker’s role were unacceptable. In a democracy, a strong and efficient administration is required as much as a free press and independent judiciary. The immunity from action by outside agencies enjoyed by those participating in the proceedings of the legislature is absolutely necessary to ensure efficient functioning of democracy.

— The writer is a senior BJP leader and minister for higher education, Karnataka