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Displeased over the near total wash out of the Budget session, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari today said, “The record of the work done, and not done, is in the public domain and in no need of commentary...” Both houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, two days before May 10th which was slated to be the last day of the session. There was a month long recess in between the 32 day Budget session.
Ansari asked the MPs to deliberate the “impact of disruptive behaviour on public opinion”. Due to incessant disruptions, Question Hour was taken up on only seven out of 30 hours in the Lok Sabha, the general and railway budgets had to be passed without discussion and several crucial legislations which the UPA wanted to get cleared at any cost, like the Food Bill Land bill, Insurance bill, Companies bill and Pension bill could not be taken up.
The discussion on the Food bill remained inconclusive, as did the a discussion on atrocities on women and girl child listed in the wake of the Delhi child rape case also remained inconclusive due to continuous disruptions of the proceedings.
More than 50% of the scheduled work hours in Parliament were lost due to disruptions. For instance, 92 hours and 40 minutes in the Lok Sabha was lost due to disruption.
This is the third occasion when the Parliament has been adjourned sine die within the tenure of this Fifteenth Lok Sabha itself, during the tenure of UPA II.
Even before the second half of the session kicked off, the Opposition BJP had mounted its attack on the government over the JPC report on the 2G scam which was labeled a ‘Congress report” and over allegations that Law minister Ashwani Kumar interfered in the preparation of the CBI report on the Coal scam.
Expectedly from April 22 onwards, the Opposition demanded the resignation of the Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and daily adjournments took place due to Opposition members walking into the well of the house chanting slogans.
The government was determined to push through its Food bill and Land bill so that it gave it the much needed momentum in the run up to the polls, especially as it was under Opposition fire on a slew of scams. The unraveling of the Railgate scam which roped in Rail minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, proved to be the final blow from which the Congress could not recover from.
The BJP accelerated its demands for the Prime Minister’s resignation and despite the government’s best eeforst it could just about start the discussion on the Food bill but could not pass it.
As a buoyant Finance minister P Chidambaram after the Congreess victory in Karnataka said outside Parliament, “What's the point of shouting and counter shouting. I think the decision (to adjourn Parliament sine die) was taken this morning... If we cannot pass any legislation,...Adjourn the House sine die." Adding that the government should not be blamed for this. Only two bills were passed in this session, the Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill and Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill.
