Just one bill passed as Winter session grinds to halt over demonetisation

The only time there was some respite from the war of words between the govt and the Opposition was when the obits were read

 

The Winter Session of Parliament was a complete washout with the passage of a single bill in a month. The Session began on November 16, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a suprise announcement declared that all 500- and 1,000-rupee notes were no longer legal tender.

A united Opposition tried to corner the government on the issue of demonetisation in the House, which was marred by repeated uproar and adjournments. The war of words between the government and the Opposition was unabated except when the obituaries were read. MPs from both the ruling and Opposition side jumped into the Well of the House shouting slogans against each other.

The debate on demonetisation commenced in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the session but did not reach a conclusion as the Opposition insisted on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the House. Discussions in the Lok Sabha could not see the light of the day as the government was unrelenting on having a debate under rule 56, which entails voting.

With each passing day the situation turned ugly in both the Houses, except for the last day, when The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill was passed. Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party also issued whips to their MPs, asking them to be present in the House.

While the Congress was ready to have a debate outside the purview of rule 56, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar raised the AgustaWestland issue and wanted a debate on that first, which miffed the Congress.

The continuous uproar in Parliament also saw BJP veteran L K Advani losing his cool and holding both Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Minister Ananth Kumar responsible for the logjam. On the penultimate day of the session, Advani said that he felt like resigning due to continuous disruptions.

"Disruptions are so disappointing that I wonder if I should resign from the Lok Sabha," Advani said.

Till the last day, both the sides were accusing the other of disrupting the session and not letting the House function.  

The Opposition was led Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who has time and again complained of not being allowed to speak in Parliament on the issue of demonetisation. "I have information of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal involvement in corruption, which is what I want to speak on in Lok Sabha. Modi is terrified of me being allowed to speak in Parliament and that is why I am being stopped," Gandhi said.

Many important bill listed for the session could not be taken up, including the Goods and Service Tax Bill, The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013.