The gathering was not a conventional political meeting but a unique platform for people from different sections of society to understand India's democratic framework and parliamentary system. Young lawyers, chartered accountants, social activists, students and artists from across the country participated in the symbolic parliament.
The participants took on the roles of some of the country's top political leaders. While one participant appeared as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and another as Home Minister Amit Shah, others represented opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, adopting a combative approach during the debate.
The mock parliament began with an uproar, prompting the presiding officer to intervene and ask members to maintain order. The proceedings then moved towards a discussion on democracy versus anarchy.
The debate was initiated by a member portraying Bansuri Swaraj. The convention hall featured symbolic representations of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with Akhilesh Yadav, were also represented in the mock parliamentary proceedings.
The member portraying Bansuri Swaraj argued that anarchy begins when people start acting according to their own wishes instead of following the law.
During the discussion on democracy and anarchy, she said the government had connected crores of people through digital initiatives and the Dhan Jan Yojana over the past 12 years.
She also questioned incidents of alleged misconduct against police personnel, including raising hands against them, asking whether such behaviour was justified.
She asserted that attempts to change the country's regime would never succeed and stressed that the country would be governed by law.
"India will be run by law. The country will be governed by Parliament, not by the streets," she said.
The member portraying BJP leader Anurag Thakur then argued that only 15 per cent of the work could be completed during the Monsoon Session because of disruptions by the opposition.
The debate took another turn when the member portraying Mallikarjun Kharge began speaking. As he said, "I don't speak much," a BJP member interrupted him, remarking that he had already spoken before.
Responding to the interruption, Kharge said he had been in politics for 50 years and knew everything. He said he had repeatedly won elections and had served as an MLA several times, yet he did not trust the Election Commission.
He pointed out that the Congress was in power in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, but said he still had no confidence in the Election Commission. He also mentioned that his son was a minister, reiterating that this had not changed his lack of trust in the poll body.
The mock parliament organised by Citizens for Democracy brought together young professionals and representatives from different social backgrounds to recreate parliamentary proceedings, offering participants an opportunity to engage with democratic debates through the roles of political leaders and legislators.
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