iTS INJUSTICE -Historic washout: Least productive Parliament session ends.
PAISA aAM aDMI KA PANI KI TARAH BHAHA RAHE HAI HAMARE MP'S
New Delhi: The winter session of Parliament on Monday ended without transacting any substantial business, going down in Parliamentary history as the only session virtually washed out due to standoff between the government and Opposition over 2G spectrum scam.
Parliament could function barely for a few hours during the 23 sittings which began on November 9, as the united Opposition forced adjournments almost everyday, within minutes of assembling.
The logjam led to a loss of Rs.7.8 crore a day to the national exchequer, which translates into Rs.1.3 crore per hour as each sitting is of six hours each day. That means nearly Rs.172 crore (Rs.1.72 billion) of the Indian tax payer's money went down the drain.
Opposition members trooping into the well and shouting slogans demanding JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation became a daily routine in both Houses.
Normalcy was seen in the Lok Sabha only on the first day of the session when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned because of death of a sitting member.
Despite a number of meetings between the government and Opposition, the impasse continued as the BJP-led NDA, the Left parties, AIADMK, SP, TDP and BJD persisted with their demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition got a shot in the arm after the CAG report, tabled in Parliament on November 16, said the spectrum allocation in 2008 had caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The Opposition was not satisfied even though Telecom Minister A Raja quit.
The government, on the other hand, continuously rejected the demand for JPC maintaining that the Public Accounts Committee was adequately equipped to probe the irregularities.
This session earned the dubious distinction of being virtually washed out, although Parliament had witnessed logjam for 17 days over Tehelka scam in 2001 and disruptions for 45 days over Bofors scandal in 1987.
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Before adjourning the Upper House sine die, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari conveyed his displeasure stating the 221st session displayed "distinct" features and asked members to introspect.
"No debates or discussions on matters of public interest took place; no special mentions were made or laid on the table; no zero hour interventions were sought; no questions were answered orally and no supplementary questions were raised," he said.
Ansari said all sections of the House would "perhaps introspect on the record of this session to seek the distinction between dissent, remonstration, agitation and disruption."
When asked for her reaction on the ongoing logjam, Speaker Meira Kumar said outside the House, "I am anguished" at the situation.
Amid the pandemonium, the government managed to get its financial bills involving supplementary demands for about Rs 46,000 crore passed.
But it was clear at the end of it all that the government and the opposition were headed for a showdown, with neither side willing to relent on a deeply divisive issue.
The session had scheduled 138 hours of business in 23 sittings. But parliament sat for only 7.3 hours, which means only a pathetic 5.5 percent of the allotted time was utilised, said the PRS Legislative Research.
"If we compare all sessions that sat for more than five working days along this metric, the current session has recorded the worst performance," said PRS in its analysis.
PAISA aAM aDMI KA PANI KI TARAH BHAHA RAHE HAI HAMARE MP'S
New Delhi: The winter session of Parliament on Monday ended without transacting any substantial business, going down in Parliamentary history as the only session virtually washed out due to standoff between the government and Opposition over 2G spectrum scam.
Parliament could function barely for a few hours during the 23 sittings which began on November 9, as the united Opposition forced adjournments almost everyday, within minutes of assembling.
The logjam led to a loss of Rs.7.8 crore a day to the national exchequer, which translates into Rs.1.3 crore per hour as each sitting is of six hours each day. That means nearly Rs.172 crore (Rs.1.72 billion) of the Indian tax payer's money went down the drain.
Opposition members trooping into the well and shouting slogans demanding JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation became a daily routine in both Houses.
Normalcy was seen in the Lok Sabha only on the first day of the session when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned because of death of a sitting member.
Despite a number of meetings between the government and Opposition, the impasse continued as the BJP-led NDA, the Left parties, AIADMK, SP, TDP and BJD persisted with their demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition got a shot in the arm after the CAG report, tabled in Parliament on November 16, said the spectrum allocation in 2008 had caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The Opposition was not satisfied even though Telecom Minister A Raja quit.
The government, on the other hand, continuously rejected the demand for JPC maintaining that the Public Accounts Committee was adequately equipped to probe the irregularities.
This session earned the dubious distinction of being virtually washed out, although Parliament had witnessed logjam for 17 days over Tehelka scam in 2001 and disruptions for 45 days over Bofors scandal in 1987.
Related Stories
Sonia ‘concerned’ about widespread corruption
2G: NDA MPs protest govt`s refusal to accept JPC
Sonia rejects JPC demand, impasse to worsen
Before adjourning the Upper House sine die, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari conveyed his displeasure stating the 221st session displayed "distinct" features and asked members to introspect.
"No debates or discussions on matters of public interest took place; no special mentions were made or laid on the table; no zero hour interventions were sought; no questions were answered orally and no supplementary questions were raised," he said.
Ansari said all sections of the House would "perhaps introspect on the record of this session to seek the distinction between dissent, remonstration, agitation and disruption."
When asked for her reaction on the ongoing logjam, Speaker Meira Kumar said outside the House, "I am anguished" at the situation.
Amid the pandemonium, the government managed to get its financial bills involving supplementary demands for about Rs 46,000 crore passed.
But it was clear at the end of it all that the government and the opposition were headed for a showdown, with neither side willing to relent on a deeply divisive issue.
The session had scheduled 138 hours of business in 23 sittings. But parliament sat for only 7.3 hours, which means only a pathetic 5.5 percent of the allotted time was utilised, said the PRS Legislative Research.
"If we compare all sessions that sat for more than five working days along this metric, the current session has recorded the worst performance," said PRS in its analysis.
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