JOIN USParliament adjourned sine die four days ahead of schedule
The Monsoon Session of Parliament, marked by disruptions over demand for a debate on price rise, election of a new President and Vice President and once again exposing chinks in the Opposition, was on Monday adjourned sine die, making it the seventh consecutive session to end its business ahead of schedule.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were to adjourn on Friday but the government went ahead with adjourning the House on Monday itself as Tuesday and Thursday are holidays owing to Muharram and Raksha Bandhan, leaving just two more working days.
The early adjournment would mean that Jagdeep Dhankhar, the newly elected Vice President who will take oath on August 11, will have to wait till Winter Session, likely in November, to preside over a sitting of Rajya Sabha of which he would be the Chairman.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien tweeted, “this is the seventh consecutive time (since Budget Session 2020) Parliament session has been cut short. Stop mocking Parliament. We will fight for its sanctity and prevent PM Narendra Modi, (Home Minister) Amit Shah from turning this great institution into the Gujarat Gymkhana.”
Congress General Secretary (Communications) and Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said, “early adjournment is at government’s request. We were prepared to discuss Bills.” The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said the session was curtailed due to completion of essential government business and demand of members in view of two gazetted and Parliamentary holidays ahead.
Even as the government set an ambitious target of passing 32 Bills, including 24 new ones, Lok Sabha could pass only seven while Rajya Sabha could pass five. Interestingly, the contentious Bill on personal data protection was withdrawn during the session.
Lok Sabha functioned for 44:29 hours or 48% of the scheduled time while Rajya Sabha functioned for around 38 hours (44%) while 47 hours were lost to disruption.
The session saw disruption over price rise, questioning of Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate, suspension of 27 MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the protest marches, including the black dress one, by Congress on misuse of central agencies, and inflation.
There was virtually no business in the first two weeks of the Session, as the Opposition insisted on a debate on price rise. The government initially stonewalled the discussion, saying that they cannot schedule the debate early as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had tested positive for Covid-19, though the Opposition had made it clear that any other Minister could reply on her behalf.
The stalemate ended on August 1 when Lok Sabha took up the discussion and Rajya Sabha the next day but the House still continued to face protests over ED action against Congress leaders.
Once again, the chinks in the Opposition were visible throughout the Session – Trinamool Congress did not sign a joint letter to President Droupadi Murmu initiated by the Congress on the “misuse of central agencies” though later it endorsed a joint Opposition statement against Supreme Court verdict upholding amendments to money laundering law.
One also witnessed separate protests on suspension of MPs and price rise at Gandhi Statue in Parliament House complex while the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls added to the woes of the Opposition.
The choice of Droupadi Murmu, a tribal, by the NDA as Presidential candidate prompted parties like JMM and JD(S) to break ranks with the Opposition while fielding Margaret Alva as Vice Presidential candidate irked the Trinamool Congress, which said there was no proper consultation.