The first half of Budget Session of Parliament saw sharp political exchanges between the government and Opposition in both the houses of Parliament though some work finally got done.
The session which began on 23 February with the address by President Pranab Mukherjee to a joint sitting of both houses, saw the government face some embarrassments in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks majority.
GST a No Go as Opposition Cornered Government Over JNU and Rohith Vemula
The government was not able to take up the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill once again, pending in the Rajya Sabha. The government may bring up the bill in Upper house in the second half of the session, which begins on 25 April and will continue until 13 May.
While the opposition targeted the government over the controversial actions concerning Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad University, the government hit out at the Congress over the “flip-flop” in the affidavits filed in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
When the issue of Hyderabad University was being discussed, Smriti Irani made a fiery and controversial speech while putting forward the views of government.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Face Off Over Aadhar Bill
The opposition succeeded in getting an amendment adopted in the Rajya Sabha to the motion of thanks to the President’s address despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to adopt it unanimously. On Wednesday, the house recommended five amendments to the Aadhar bill, which was brought in as a Money Bill by the government.
The amendments suggested by Rajya Sabha to Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, were rejected by the Lok Sabha just hours later, on the very same day.
Rajya Sabha has limited powers with respect to money bills but the opposition may have tried to score a political point.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday also passed the Mines and Mineral (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016.
Fewer Disruptions Ensure a More Productive Parliament
The first half of the session saw few adjournments, though opposition and treasury benches sought to score against each other. The Monsoon Session and Winter Session had seen repeated adjournments by the opposition on a range of issues and very little business being transacted.
Members cutting across party lines backed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016 with Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu terming it “historic” and asserting that the new law will help bring down property prices.
The Raga-Namo Tussle
The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the president’s address saw Congress vice-President Rahul Gandhi taking potshots at PM Modi. Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of ignoring the senior members of his cabinet. He also launched an attack against policies on black money and the Naga Peace Accord.
In his reply, Modi made a veiled attack on Gandhi and quoted ex-Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi, to explain the role of opposition.
The Lok Sabha also took up discussion on the attack on the Pathankot airbase.
The ‘Sting’ That Stung Trinamool Congress
The session also saw BJP, Congress and CPI-M members attack the Trinamool Congress over a sting operation allegedly showing several of its leaders taking bribes. The matter has been referred to the ethics panel by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The controversy struck the West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool weeks before the assembly polls in the state.
The ethics committee also served a notice to Rahul Gandhi, asking if he had ever declared himself a British citizen.
Parliament Functions at Over 100 Per Cent Efficiency
According to PRS Legislative, which tracks work of Parliament, Lok Sabha functioned for 120 per cent of its scheduled time while Rajya Sabha functioned for 97 per cent of its scheduled time during the first half of session.
Question Hour in Lok Sabha worked for 87 per cent of the scheduled time, while in Rajya Sabha it has worked for 85 per cent of its scheduled time.
The bills passed by Parliament during the first half of the session include the Election Laws Amendment Bill, 2016, the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, the Bureau of Indian standards Bill and the National Waterways Bill.
(With inputs from IANS)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)