Differences should be reflected in debates, not through disruptions, says Lok Sabha Speaker

The House lost 18 hours and 48 minutes to disruptions, Birla said in his valedictory remarks

Differences of opinion among political parties are natural in a functional democracy, but they should be reflected in debates, not through disruption of parliamentary proceedings, Speaker Om Birla said after adjourning the Lok Sabha sine die, as the Winter Session of Parliament came to its end on Wednesday.

He also said that construction of a new Parliament building was going on and efforts were being made to finish works within the next year, before the Winter Session in December 2022.

The Lok Sabha had 18 sittings during the just-concluded Winter Session of Parliament. The sittings were spread over 83 hours and 12 minutes. The House, however, lost 18 hours and 48 minutes to disruptions, Birla said in his valedictory remarks. The overall productivity of the Lok Sabha during the session was 82 per cent, but it had increased to 204 per cent on December 2, when the House sat for extra hours till midnight to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

The Lok Sabha witnessed an uproar and repeated disruptions during the Winter Session, as the opposition MPs protested on multiple issues, ranging from price rise and killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh to the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House and desecration of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Bengaluru.

Also Read — Govt dismantling democracy, slow-poisoning Parliament: TMC MP Derek O'Brien

The discussion on the pandemic in the Lok Sabha, however, lasted for 12 hours and 26 minutes and saw participation by 99 members. Altogether, 61 members took part in the discussion on climate change over six hours and 26 minutes.

The government introduced 12 bills in the Lok Sabha during the session, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill to increase the marriageable age for girls from 18 years to 21 years. Nine of the bills were passed by the House during the session, which included the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, Election Laws (Amendment) Bill and legislations to fix the tenure of directors of the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation at five years and supplementary demands for grants, Birla said.

He later told journalists that agreements and disagreements on issues should be reflected in debates and not through disruption. “Smooth conduct of the House is the responsibility of all stakeholders. The House must be run in accordance with the collective will and consensus,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said, interacting with journalists.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: