Winter Session of Parliament ends ahead of schedule

The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on November 29 in the shadow of uncertainty with the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs in the previous session, came to an end Wednesday, a day earlier than scheduled, with the passage of 11 bills in both houses.

While the government projected it as a success – with 82 per cent productivity in Lok Sabha and 48 per cent in Rajya Sabha – despite the “disruptive strategy” of the Opposition, the treasury benches have been accused of “rushing the bills without debates and even prior notice”.

The session had 18 sittings in 24 days, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who was addressing the media after both the houses were adjourned sine die

During the session, 13 bills (12 in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha) were introduced. Eleven bills were passed by both the houses of Parliament, which includes one Appropriation Bill relating the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year. The bills include the Farm Repeal Bill, 2021, the Dam Safety Bill, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill.

While The Biological Diversity (Amendment) bill was referred to the joint committee of both the houses for further scrutiny, The National Anti Doping Bill, The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, the Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) bill, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) bill and the Mediation Bill were sent to the standing committees for detailed discussions.

The Opposition accused the government of not holding proper debates on various legislations. “Parliament sessions ends, every single day washed out by government who will now spend the afternoon doing press conferences justifying cold-blooded murder of democracy. When the opposition did get the odd chance to speak, we gave the government a masterclass from the rule book,” TMC MP Derek O Brien who was suspended from the Upper House on Tuesday tweeted after the house was adjourned sine die.

For its part, the government said it was the Opposition MPs who disrupted the parliamentary proceedings. “Our first priority was to discuss the issue of price rise. Unfortunately, when the Chairman and the Speaker gave them a chance, no one was ready. The Finance Minister was present with her replies,” Joshi said.

Joshi said the government was willing to hold discussions on every issue. “The Prime Minister had suggested that the government should look into the issues raised by the members during zero hour and there should be action on them. But the disruptions did not let it so. It’s not good for democracy,” he said.

Asked about the Opposition’s allegation that the bills were passed without debates, Joshi said: “It’s a baseless allegation. The Opposition should have let the house run.”

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