MPs not getting enough time? Parliament becoming 'dark chamber' under Modi govt, TMC says

MPs received a 15-day notice ahead of the commencement of the Budget Session. Usually, a 21-day notice has to be given to MPs but the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had admitted earlier that due to various reasons, this was not adhered to on several occasions.

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday found fault with the Narendra Modi government for summoning Parliament for its Budget Session with just a notice of 15 days, saying it is one of the many ills that is turning Parliament into a "deep, dark chamber".

President Droupadi Murmu had on January 17 summoned the Parliament to hold the Budget Session from January 31.

Usually, a 21-day notice has to be given to MPs but the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had admitted earlier that due to various reasons, this was not adhered to on several occasions.

“The diminishing lead time between the issuance of summons and the commencement of sessions is only one of the many ills that is turning Parliament into a deep, dark chamber,” Trinamool Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien said.

He said he had in 2019 moved a bill seeking 100 days of sittings of Parliament in a year and a calendar for sessions. “If schools and colleges can set up their calendars way in advance, why can’t Parliament?,” he asked.

He also said MPs are elected not just to legislate, but also to hold the government accountable, scrutinise its actions, and debate matters of national importance. “These responsibilities will be fulfilled far better with a structured and predictable Parliamentary calendar,” he added.

Other than the very first session of the new Lok Sabha, three sessions during 2014-19 were called with a notice less than 15 days while it was only one during 2009-14 and five during 2004-09.

The General Purpose Committee of the Lok Sabha had on April 22, 1955 recommended a time table for the Budget, Monsoon and Winter Sessions of Parliament, to which the Union Cabinet also agreed.

As per the proposal, the Budget Session was to commence on February 1 and adjourn sine die on May 7 while the Monsoon Session was to start on July 15 and end on September 15. The Winter Session was to start on November 5 or the fourth day after Diwali, whichever is later, and end on December 22.

This time table has not been observed in practice and sessions have commenced on different dates though more or less in the specified months. The duration of sessions has has varied according to the volume of the business conducted by the Houses, the Handbook on the Working of Parliamentary Affairs said.

With Lok Sabha giving a notice of 10-21 days and Rajya Sabha not less than 15 days for filing questions, the Handbook says, “it is, as far as possible, ensured that all procedural formalities for convening the Sessions are completed and summons are issued to the members at least 21 clear days before the proposed date of commencement of the Session.”

“This is, however, not always possible and there are several instances when the summons to members have been issued at an interval of less than 21 clear days,’ it said.

After the general election, it said, owing to paucity of time, the two Houses are normally convened at an interval of two to seven days. The summons for the first session of the 13th Lok Sabha scheduled to commence on 20 October, 1999 were issued on 16 October, 1999, it said.

An analysis by Trinamool Congress said the average number days between the issuance of summons and the commencement of Parliament has been 27 days.

The first two Lok Sabhas had an average gap of 47 days between summons and commencement.

Under the Modi government, this average has dropped to 17 days. The gap between summons and the commencement of the three sessions of the ongoing Lok Sabha has averaged an all time low of 16 days, it said. The 14th and 15th Lok Sabhas, when UPA was in power, also averaged 17 days.