NEW DELHI: One clause of the National Commission for Backward Classes Bill, 2017, was repealed in Parliament after over seven hours of discussion — 4.32 hours in Lok Sabha and 3.35 hours in Rajya Sabha.
Two clauses of the State Banks (Repeal & Amendment) Bill, 2017, were repealed after 2.31 hours of discussion by the members in Lok Sabha and 2.42 hours in Rajya Sabha.
Going by the recent trend, the tradition seems to have changed.
On Monday, the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, was passed in just eight minutes — three in Lok Sabha and five in Rajya Sabha. Opposition MPs are citing this as an example to say that the government led by BJP doesn’t listen to them.
“The farm laws were brought by PM Narendra Modi without discussion and have been repealed by Modi without discussion,” said Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM.
Saying that he is in favour of debates and discussions, the MP from Hyderabad added, “If elected MPs are left unheard, what choice do people have apart from protesting?”
The ruling party shrugs off such allegations. BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP and former Deputy CM of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi said since the Opposition were united in their demand for withdrawal of the farm laws, the discussion would have amounted to a waste of time.
“The objective of the Opposition should not be limited to creating a ruckus,” said Modi.
Kota Neelima, director of the Institute of Perception Studies in New Delhi, felt the sanctity of Parliament lies in debate.
“Reluctance of the government to debate exposes the government’s insecurity. A perception is getting stronger that the government does not want to debate because it cannot defend itself.” She added that voters will not be wrong in having a perception that their government does not want to be questioned about its decisions.
Debates and discussions in Parliament are not a matter of the distant past. Available references show that 131 clauses of the Repealing and Amendment (Second) Bill, 2017, and 104 clauses of the Repealing an Amendment ACT, 2017, were repealed after 1.07 hours of discussion in Lok Sabha and 38 minutes in Rajya Sabha.
And, 295 acts of the same Repealing and Amendment (Fourth) Bill, 2015, were repealed after close to 70 minutes of discussion in the two Houses, while 758 appropriation acts of the Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2015, were binned after 1.19 hours of discussion.