Par system under stress,reforms needed for speedy decisions:FM

"...We must reform governance in this country. We must reform governance within the Parliamentary system. The Parliamentary system is in great stress," he said after being conferred the Best Administrator of India Award- 2012 by the K Karunakaran Foundation here.

"I think the gravest crisis that faces India is the challenge in the system of Parliamentary democracy. I think we must work together to ensure that governance does not suffer in the thrust and parry, in the give and take and the battleground that Parliament has become today," he said.

Chidambaram's remarks come a day after a Samajwadi Party member stunned the Lok Sabha by snatching the copy of the bill for quota in promotion from Minister V Narayanasamy and another member tearing it as a scuffle broke out when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi tried to retrieve the Bill.

The action of SP member Yashvir Singh, a dalit, triggered commotion and scuffle between members of his party and the Congress who threw a protective ring around Gandhi in the Well of the House.

Disruptions in the Parliamentary proceeding have become a regular phenomenon. The previous Monsoon session was a complete washout as stiff opposition over coal scam did not let Parliament function. As a result, many important Bills could be cleared.

Even in the ensuing Winter Session, disruptions have led to adjournments of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Chidambaram said that elected representatives should take quick decisions and work towards nation building.

"It is important that as elected representatives of the people we face challenges, take decisions and get on to the task of nation building," he added.