'Highly productive' monsoon session of Parliament

Lok Sabha passes 15 bills, while RS approves 14 bills

The Modi government broke the reforms jinx with the near unanimous passage of the GST Bill and laws to tighten the noose on economic offenders in the monsoon session of Parliament.

With the Opposition having its say, both the Houses of Parliament also witnessed meaningful discussion on a range of issues, including price rise, atrocities against Dalits, the situation in Kashmir, dismissal of Congress governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

An elated Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar described the passage of the Constitution (122nd Amendment) or GST Bill as the “tax reform of the century” that would enhance investor faith in the economy. The Lok Sabha passed 15 bills, while the Rajya Sabha put its stamp of approval on 14 bills with presiding officers Sumitra Mahajan and Hamid Ansari describing the monsoon session, which concluded on Friday, as “highly productive”.

An analysis by PRS Legislative Research said both Houses witnessed one of the most productive Question Hours since 2004. “During the session, 25% of the questions were orally answered in the Lok Sabha, while 28% of the questions were answered in the Rajya Sabha,” it said.

The Lok Sabha also adopted a resolution expressing serious concern over the prolonged turbulence, violence and curfew in Kashmir. With the recent case of Vijay Mallya defaulting on bank loans fresh in mind, Parliament also passed a bill that seeks to strengthen debt recovery laws.

Both the Houses witnessed a few disruptions than earlier, but made up for the lost time. Sumitra Mahajan, the Lok Sabha Speaker, sat late for over 18 hours. Both the Houses were interrupted due to members’ protests demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Another highlight of the session was the suspension of AAP Lok Sabha member Bhagwant Mann for filming his journey past security barriers in Parliament and posting it on social media. The Lok Sabha Speaker had constituted an enquiry committee that is examining the matter.