5 Questions: ‘Some members habitually raise irrelevant issues’

Many members in the Rajya Sabha have been using the time between 11 and 12 am – the time for raising issues of public importance – to raise points of order and notices for adjournment motions. The Chair takes up these issues, and at times allows members to explain the reason for their notices. Many from the Opposition, I am not taking names, take advantage. They are heard, but it doesn’t mean that they have a point. They use the pretext of the point of order to get themselves heard but use up precious time that the House could utilise to raise serious and genuine matters.

You mean to say that he Opposition blocks others from raising matters of public importance?

Many a time, 20-25 minutes of the time for raising matters of public importance is lost to meaningless points of order, brought about by those who are habitually raising irrelevant issues in Parliament. Most of the time, the Chair rules out these points of order. But time is lost and if we have given notices for 15 matters, we don’t get time to raise them.

You see it as a Opposition strategy?

I have every reason to suspect that it’s a strategy to eat into time allowed for members like us to raise issues. It’s not just for the ruling party, the issue is there for others too. It could be a well calculated strategy.

What is your suggestion to counter this?

My suggestion is that the Chair should keep a track record of MPs who are habitually raising irrelevant issues. If we recognise there are a few MPs accustomed to raise irrelevant issues as points of order, the Chair can either reprimand them or ignore their points of order.

The Opposition in the Lok Sabha often complains that it does not get time to talk on issues it wants.

It’s not a question of majority or minority. The question is also not who is the presiding officer. Because we respect presiding officers regardless of their political background. But our issue is that those who observe rules are paying for the misadventures of rule breakers. This should not happen.