Private bill in Rajya Sabha pitches Oppositon committee, fourth session

Amid allegations that the government ignores Opposition demands for debate on issues of their interest, RJD MP Manoj K Jha has piloted a private member’s bill in Rajya Sabha seeking the constitution of an Opposition Business Committee to decide on issues to be taken up as well as a “short session”, a fourth one, to exclusively discuss at least two issues of public importance.

The Parliament (Productivity Enhancement) Bill, 2022 was introduced by JHa on Friday also wants a minimum 120 sittings a year and extension of Sessions to compensate the time lost due to disruptions.

Outlining the reasoning behind the Bill, Jha said in the Statement of Objects and Reasons that Parliament not only makes laws but ensures that the government is made accountable through the participation of non-ruling parties.

However, he said, the current framework does not “adequately provide” the members of the opposition with means to intervene and lead discussions which lead to more delays and disruptions.

Also Read | AAP opposes private bill on National Judicial Commission

“Consequently, both Houses of Parliament are not able to perform the crucial function of parliamentary oversight,” Jha said as he argued that the “drastic reduction” of Parliament productivity has “seriously deteriorated the quality of discussion and hampered overall efficiency effectively”.

Arguing that a separate mechanism for the Opposition to put forward pressing issues could “substantially bring down” instances of disorder in Parliament, the Bill proposes a separate Opposition Business Committee on the lines of the existing Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that allots time for discussion for both government and private businesses.

This panel with eight MPs as members could decide on the demands of the Opposition and allocate time for such matters, the Bill said. Another proposal in the Bill is for a fourth Session – a short one with a minimum sitting of 15 days – where no legislative or other businesses will be taken up.

Jha wants such a session to discuss at least two urgent matters of public importance. The subjects could be decided by the existing BAC. Each political party will be allowed to suggest two subjects to the BAC which will take a final call, according to the Bill.

This suggestion comes against the backdrop of Opposition parties accusing the government of not allowing discussions on specific subjects and Calling Attention Motions.

Arguing for a minimum of 120 days of session, the Bill said it was “imperative to urgently reform and strengthen” the existing system which is only possible by extending the number of days the Parliament functions. To keep up with the rapidly changing needs of the people, it said, the working hours of Parliament in no situation should be reduced due to delays or disruptions.

"Parliament has a unique responsibility of balancing competing interests and catering to the needs of the people through democratic means of deliberations and discussions. The Indian Parliament which witnessed its most productive Session during the initial decades suffers from a limited number of sittings, frequent disruptions, and high absenteeism in the 21st century,” it added.