M.R. Madhavan on Party Power and the Decline of India's Legislatures

Today my guest is M.R. Madhavan, co-founder and president of PRS Legislative Research.

We talked about the role and purpose of the Rajya Sabha, treatment of money bills in a Westminster system, how the anti-defection law and party whips have hollowed out parliamentary function, parliamentary procedure, the role of the governor, and much more.

Recorded June 24th, 2026.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:33) - The Role and Purpose of the Rajya Sabha

(00:14:46) - Money Bills, No-Confidence Motions, and Design Flaws