Millions of Indians, with faith in those who make promises on platforms and posters, and hopeful for a brighter future, press their symbol of choice when election season comes around. We, as members of the youth of this country, have always read our nation’s rich history, the sacrifices of those who came before us, the crevices that still remain; we too have been hopeful. Having extensively read the procedures outlined by the makers of our Constitution, a peek into their minds evinces the faith and trust they placed on those who would continue their legacy of representing the people of India and fulfilling the aspirations of the nation.Newspapers and media channels, magazines and social media — a wide rhetoric exists today that feeds us the politics of the day, the schemes the government promises, and the actions it takes, and so, we trust what is thrusted at us. We trust other pillars of democracy, meant to be impartial; we believe in the system of checks and balances, we believe in the smiles, and we believe that people come first.However, our belief system has been shaken, and our perspective confused. In the month of December 2023 we decided to participate in the legislative action by watching the winter session live, in capacities of being young electors and followers of the political dynamics of the nation. And to our dismay, we observed egregious dysfunctions.“The Most Productive Session of the Parliament,” “18 Bills Passed,” “Viksit Bharat,” “Reform of the Criminal Justice System,” “A New Era in Jammu and Kashmir” – what one sees is a linear view, the view of the ruling majority. As a result, what gets buried under the rubble of self-praising reels, shorts and tweets, is how an 18-day session lost four days of effective legislative operations due to the suspension of opposition MPs who were only voicing what the people wanted to know, how these sessions were adjourned to evade accountability, how the Office of the Speaker and the Chairman have become facilitators of those in power, and how even the media that is supposed to be unbiased and act as a measurer of the democratic yardstick has been bought to deny screen for the opposition to exercise its constitutionally mandated duties.India is known for its diversity and inclusiveness, but the winter session of the Parliament showcased a frosty outlook with several days opening with loud greetings of “Jai Shree Ram” and discontinuation of the extended lunch break in Rajya Sabha on Fridays originally meant for Muslim MPs to conduct their congregational prayers. Sessions were vehemently adjourned when the opposition called for discussion on the security breach, but raucous chanting of “Teesri Baar Modi Sarkar” was not considered worthy to be penalised for disrupting democratic procedures within the Parliament. “Debated largely,” but debated by whom? We found BJP MPs one after the other and no sight of the opposition for almost a week of the mere three-week-long winter session.Notices sent out by the opposition were rejected, questions on education, health, funds, employment, environment, transgenders, minorities answered using names of policies, not data, and if pushed, those questions deleted or their meaning diverted. Natural justice defied to punish apparent corruption charges, and the opposition declared incompetent for not being able to read 604 pages of Ethics Committee report on Mahua Moitra in two hours. Fourteen bills passed in three days amidst the suspension of 146 MPs, but no mention of the security breach in the concluding notes.We wonder, what do we vote for, who do we vote for, and why do we vote when asking questions on Parliament’s security is declared to be undemocratic, requesting the one in charge for the protection of our representative and seeking an explanation on the breach is labelled “disruption,” and taking political jibes is how questions on suicides, dropouts, unemployment, and education are answered. When a menstruating minister’s insensitive remarks on paid menstrual leave sent shockwaves amongst us fellow menstruators constituting almost half of the population, the majority of us were being reassured that it was not our collective agony being echoed in the halls of the institution that is praised to be inclusive and representative. When we cannot trust the only source that allows us to see what goes inside the house of democracy, let alone others.Telecommunication, The Election Commission of India, Criminal Justice Reformation, Jammu and Kashmir, The Post Office, Advocates and Central Universities, Reservations, and the Taxes we pay. The one we chose, the one the people chose — what is the point when all it takes is 10 to 15 minutes to decide the fate of this democracy; when us young Indians are witnessing the litmus test of the strength of our Parliament turning out to be hegemonic on one side and repressed on the other.We have lost faith; we are in disbelief. If, after being fortunate to receive an education, we too were disillusioned by political acts of narrative building, imagine those whose only ray of hope and mobility are the words of wisdom they hear, or so they believe.Akanksha Badu is an adept writer with expertise in research and public policy. Eliza Jo Verghese, a recent graduate in History and Political Science, is a policy research enthusiast. Both interned with Maadhyam, a civic engagement initiative observing Parliament’s Winter Session 2023.