In the early years of independent India, a defining moment took place in its parliamentary history. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru urgently wanted to discuss an official matter with Speaker GV Mavalankar in his Parliament House office. Nehru sent a slip requesting Mavalankar to meet him in his room. The Speaker returned it to Nehru, writing on the same paper, indicating that, as per tradition, the Prime Minister calls on the Speaker and not the other way round. Nehru scribbled back – “I am sorry. I am coming”!
There is another version of this incident: Mavalankar wanted to meet Nehru in his room to talk about an official matter. Nehru responded, saying the convention warranted him to visit the Speaker in his Chamber and reached there.
You could choose to go by either of these versions. But what it does tell is the respect they showed to the dignity of their office. It also testifies to the moral fibre of two of the tallest leaders of the time, and how their pre-eminence didn’t come in the way of each reminding the other of the need to stay true to established norms.
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