Parliament session passes 12 bills but sees low productivity, says Kiren Rijiju

The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded with 12 bills passed, but productivity remained low, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said. He blamed Opposition disruptions for reduced functioning, citing 19% productivity in Lok Sabha and 39% in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament, which concluded on Thursday, was successful in terms of legislative business but remained unsatisfactory in terms of productivity, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told the media.

Addressing the media after both Houses were adjourned sine die, Rijiju said, “We view the Monsoon Session from two angles. In terms of business, it was a very successful session — we passed a total of 12 bills. However, from the perspective of debate and discussion, it was not as successful.”

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“In the Lok Sabha, only 19 per cent productivity was achieved, in relation to the total time allotted. In the Rajya Sabha, productivity stood at 39 per cent as the Opposition parties created ruckus and occasionally staged walkouts,” he added.

The Lower House saw debate only on one Bill, pertaining to paper leaks and their prevention.

“The ‘Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act’ was passed through both the Houses after due deliberations and discussion,” he said.

A lot of political watchers and constitutional experts have expressed considerable concern over the passage of key legislations without any debate or discussion, with some MPs also raising alarm over the gravity of the issue.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister held the Opposition responsible for the washout of the Monsoon Session and blamed it on the latter’s disruption and derailment tactics, accusing them of “running away” from debate.

Admitting that the Monsoon Session didn’t live up to people’s expectations, he said it was the Opposition’s conduct and behaviour that led to constant stalling and adjournments of both the Houses.

“This is the first time I have seen the Opposition shying away from debate. In a democracy, they seek answers from the government, and the government is bound to provide them. Yet, we witnessed a scenario where the government itself was forthcoming on discussion, but the Opposition kept making excuses to avoid. This is not healthy for the parliamentary democracy,” he stated.

Further tearing into the Opposition over its defiance, he said the government and the minister concerned offered to reply, but they would neither participate in debate nor would they listen to the Minister’s reply.

Lamenting the Congress party’s disruptive behaviour, Rijiju said that he genuinely felt sorry for the grand old party MPs, particularly for the new ones, who failed to find an opportunity to speak and rather became ‘victims’ of the uproar created by their own party.

He said that Congress has adopted a mindset under which the members see their role as waking up early, grabbing a pillow, heading to the Parliament complex, and engaging in name-calling and sloganeering.

He said that it was to be seen that the grand old party MPs have been reduced to raising slogans, waving placards and creating ruckus and hoped that the attitude would change when the Parliament meets again for the Winter Session.