Govt mulls change in rules to curb disruptions

The recent din and disruptions during the Budget session of Parliament that led to frequent House adjournments has got the government thinking

The recent din and disruptions during the Budget session of Parliament that led to frequent House adjournments has got the government thinking about making some amendments in the existing Parliamentary rules and procedures, so as to conduct the proceedings smoothly without losing out on precious hours.

The Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi has said he would submit a report on this issue to the Prime Minister (before the second half of the session beginning April 26). He, however, promised that the issue would be addressed collectively that is in consultation with the Opposition.

It’s a known fact that amendments in the existing rules have to be vetted by the Rules Committee of both the Houses of Parliament before being adopted. Confirming this, senior Parliamentary official dealing with the rules and procedure said, “If the government was serious about bringing down the disruptions that lead to frequent adjournment during important businesses, it could easily do so by bringing an amendment that will only require a simple majority.”

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According to parliamentary records, during the first half of the Budget session Lok Sabha lost 40.22 hours of business time due to disruptions caused by the Opposition, allies and the Left. The Rajya Sabha, lost 40.48 hours of business time in this session.

According to sources, what has particularly raised the UPA’s hackle leading to contemplating amending rules is that the Finance Minister was not allowed to reply to questions raised during the Budget session. Political parties cutting across party-lines were exceptionally critical of his proposals. UPA is also irked that two appropriation bills were passed by Parliament without a proper discussion as the Nandigram issue overshadowed everything else.

Meanwhile, the Parliament witnessed more uproarious scenes over the issue today leading to the first part of the Budget session in Lok Sabha being cut short by a day. The members will now meet on April 26. Rajya Sabha, which also adjourned for the day, will meet tomorrow.

The Lok Sabha today saw a total of two adjournments for almost five hours over the Nandigram issue. When it resumed at 4 pm, BJP’s Ananth Kumar initiated discussion on the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. Agitated DMK members trooped into the well, forcing adjournment for 30 minutes. It was no different when the House met again. “Saying it was unfortunate that no discussion was possible on the issue,” Chatterjee announced adjournment of the House until April 26.

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Surprisingly the proposal to curtail the session by day came from CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta who has otherwise been lobbying for increasing the days of parliamentary session. The UPA, caught between protecting the Left (its major ally) from one more day of embarrassment in the House and trasaction of its own business, willingly agreed to to the adjournment, even while accusing the Opposition of not letting it reply to charges labelled against it.

Sources said the government must have heaved a sigh of relief as all through the day there were speculations about the Opposition planning to bring in a no-confidence motion against the government. Sources said, JD (U) leaders Prabunath Singh and others had refused to back BJP’s no-confidence motion on the grounds that non of them had got a chance of raise their issues due to the daily disruptions.

Despite the daily disruptions, the Lok Sabha passed 10 legislation including the Mandatory Sharing of Sports Signal with Prasar Bharati, Banking Regulation Bill and Central Sales Tribunal Bill and the National Rural Employment Guarantee (amendment) bill.