Dismal Friday

The Hindu carries a depressing editorial on the stand-off in Parliament. Some interested parties perceive a silver lining, but it may be an illusion it warns

There is, of course, another way of looking at the acrimonious boycott of Parliament by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, the principal Opposition. Thanks to it, claim some stalwarts of the United Progressive Alliance, several crucial pieces of legislation — such as the Right to Information Bill and the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery System (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Bill — could be enacted speedily. Otherwise, these would have been delayed unduly. There is substance in this, but laws passed and decisions approved by Parliament in the absence of the bulk of the Opposition cannot have the same legitimacy as those adopted by the whole House.