President Pranab Mukherjee said that the Parliament has been converted into an arena of combat rather than debate, observing that institutions of democracy are under stress and "correctives must come from within".
In comments that come against the backdrop of a washed out Monsoon session of Parliament, he said, "if the institutions of democracy are under pressure, it is time for serious thinking by people and their parties".
Addressing the nation on the eve of the 69th Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee expressed concern over the apparent fractious politics and Parliament when he said "the roots (of vibrant democracy) are deep but the leaves are beginning to wilt. It is time for renewal.