NEW DELHI: The tumultuous Budget session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday was the sixth shortest in India since 1952.
From the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha and the BJP’s demand for his apology for his ‘democracy under siege’ comment in London to the unrelenting Opposition pressure for a JPC probe into the Adani row and a fresh pitch for Opposition unity, the washed-out session was otherwise eventful.
Speaking to this newspaper, Chakshu Roy, Head of Outreach at PRS Legislative Research, said in the second half, the Lok Sabha worked only for 5 per cent and the Rajya Sabha for 6 per cent of the scheduled time, making it the sixth shortest Budget session since 1952.
“This session also saw the least amount of time spent on questions in the current Lok Sabha and only about 7 per cent of starred questions were answered in either House,” said Roy.
In all, the 17th Lok Sabha has functioned for 230 days so far, with 25 days (10 in the first part and 15 in the second) dedicated to the 2023 Budget session.
Overall, the Lok Sabha functioned for 33 per cent of its scheduled time (46 hours) and the Rajya Sabha for 24 per cent (32 hours). “Disruptions have a larger cost than just the taxpayers’ money. The real cost is that of not debating laws and discussing issues that impact the entire country,” Roy said.
Even before Rahul was disqualified, BJP member Nishikant Dubey had moved a privilege motion and sought a special panel to expel him for his remarks on democracy.
In retaliation, the Congress moved a privilege notice against PM Narendra Modi for making “derogatory, insulting, distasteful and defamatory” remarks against Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.