Ajit Karn
The Budget Session of Parliament, the second portion of which was marked by daily disruptions by both the ruling and opposition benches, ended on Thursday with Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lokya Sabha Speaker Om Birla speaking out against the frequent disruptions.
While the Opposition accused the Government of disrupting the Houses and causing the session to be canceled, the Government turned the accusation against the Opposition. Kiran Rijiju, the minister of justice, stated that the Congress and its “gangs” were impeding Parliament for the benefit of a single individual Rahul Gandhi.
“Congress and its allies disrupted the House until the very last day. They donned black attire and insulted the legislature once more,” Rijiju stated. Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, described the ruling benches’ refusal to enable the Houses to function as unprecedented and the first time in his long public career.
During the first few days of the second phase of the Budget Session, BJP members disrupted the Houses, demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in London, while Opposition members demanded an investigation by a joint Parliamentary committee into the allegations against the Adani group. The opposition became more aggressive in response to Rahul’s disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha.
The first portion of the Budget Session was marked by a productivity rate of 56.3% for the Rajya Sabha, while the second portion, which began on March 13, saw productivity decline to a “horrendous” 6.4%. Dhankhar stated in his final remarks that the cumulative productivity of the House was only 24,4%. He stated that disruptions consumed 103,5 hours. “Let’s consider the poor performance of the House and find a solution,” he added.
The first portion of the Lok Sabha was productive at 83.80%, while the second leg was only productive at 5.29%. 34.85 percent was the cumulative House productivity rate. Due to interruptions, the House’s sitting period was reduced by 96 hours and 13 minutes. Even on the last day, the scenes remained unchanged.
You have reduced the dignity of the House. Speaker Birla informed the protesting Congress and DMK members that their actions were detrimental to the parliamentary system and the nation. They hurried to the Well as soon as the House convened. This House is always conducive to vigorous debate and discourse. “However, your habitual disruption of the proceedings is not acceptable,” Birla stated.
Such conduct, he stated, is contrary to the parliamentary system and detrimental to both the chamber and the nation. “The House must maintain its dignity by… The purpose of the House is debate and discussion. “I always provide ample opportunities for you to speak,” he stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several ministers were present in the House, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. While the majority of BJP members wore saffron scarves to commemorate the party’s founding day, Congress members protested by donning black.
Similar incidents occurred in the Rajya Sabha when it convened, prompting the Chairman to adjourn the meeting until 2:00 p.m. In his farewell address, Chairman Dhankhar expressed concern that the importance of debate, dialogue, deliberation, and discussion in Parliament has been supplanted by disruption and unrest.
The “weaponization of politics” by obstructing the operation of Parliament, he stated, is fraught with dire political consequences for India. “The general populace detests this. As a group, we are viewed with contempt and derision by the general public. On the anvil of people’s expectations, we must weigh our past performance. Posterity will judge us not by the decibels generated by shouting slogans, but by our numerous contributions to strengthening our nation’s development trajectory, he said.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, condemned the Opposition for the Budget Session’s near-total stalemate in the second half of the session. He stated that the governing BJP was willing to drop its demand, presumably referring to its insistence on Rahul’s apology, if the opposition parties reciprocated its gesture on their stance for an Adani-related JPC probe.
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“We were willing to concede our position. However, they should have given up their position as well. We held a strong position,” he said, without explicitly referencing the BJP’s position. He noted that Speaker Om Birla had convened a meeting to defuse the impasse, but the Opposition remained steadfast in their position.
