JOIN USAfter two weeks of disruptions, Lok Sabha on Tuesday began transacting business despite the combative opposition boycotting proceedings over the suspension of 25 Congress MPs.
The government passed two bills – the Appropriation (Railways) Bill 2015 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill – as opposition members stayed away.
The opposition benches were empty as members of the NCP, JD (U), SP, Left parties, RJD, Trinamool Congress and Muslim League boycotted the Lok Sabha as an expression of solidarity with the 25 Congress members who Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended for five days for unruly behaviour in the House.
Members of the ruling BJP, coalition partners Shiv Sena, TDP and Akali Dal and opposition AIADMK participated in the brief discussion on the demand for excess grants of the Railway Ministry. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu replied to the discussion after which the Bill was passed.
The Appropriation (Railways) Bill 2015 sought the approval from Lok Sabha for excess expenditure the ministry incurred in 2012-13.
Since the beginning of the monsoon session on July 21, Lok Sabha saw repeated disruptions by opposition Congress that demanded resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for facilitating travel documents of former IPL chief Lalit Modi, while asking for resignation of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam.
Congress and other opposition parties created disruptions in the Rajya Sabha over the issue leading to a washout.
The Lok Sabha also passed the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention ofAtrocities) Amendment Bill, 2014 that seeks to add new categories of actions to be treated as offences against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and establish exclusive special courts to try offences.