Monsoon session: A sad reflection on the state of Indian democracy

It is always the duty of the government side to ensure the full functioning of the legislature, and on that account it failed, whatever the numbers may say

The monsoon session of Parliament, held amid concerns about pandemic-related social distancing, was shorter than usual as it ended eight days before schedule, thanks to a sudden cluster of Covid-19 cases. But the session was nevertheless, in numerical terms, remarkably productive. According to the non-profit PRS Legislative Research, which tracks the activity of Parliament, the Lok Sabha worked for almost 50 per cent more than it was scheduled to, while on average it works less than is scheduled. The lower house, in fact, sat beyond midnight twice in succession. About 60 per cent of that time was spent on debate