The upside of downtime

With the first three days of the 21-day Monsoon Session of Parliament being washed out due to protests from the Opposition Congress, some ministers in the National Democratic Alliance government said they were using the free time in innovative ways. Speaking at an event in Delhi, Piyush Goyal, minister of state for coal, power and renewable energy, said he had so much time, thanks to the repeated disruptions, that he had been able to clear all the files lying on his "in" tray. He also said he had been able to catch up with old friends. As the audience erupted into gales of laughter and applause, the minister added, "I would, however, request all to aid in the smooth functioning of the House so that important matters are discussed and resolved."