Lok Sabha Speaker pushes Bill against List of Business by moving discussion forward, Opposition parties stage walkout
Taking to an unprecedented measure, the BJP-led NDA government cleared the entire Finance Bill 2018-19 worth an expenditure of Rs 89.25 lakh crore without any discussion in matter of half-an-hour prompting opposition parties to cry foul and walk out of the parliament in disgust.
The development of ‘guillotining’ the bill was decried as ‘murder of democracy’ by opposition parties as it is probably after several years the Lok Sabha did not discuss or vote for even a single ministry’s demand for grants (spending plan). The Union Budgets were passed without discussion in 2013-14 and 2003-04 when all demands were guillotined.
Going against the list of business, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan before adjourning the House minutes after it met mentioned that the Demand for Grants guillotine that was supposed to happen at 5 pm was advanced to 12 pm.
When the House met at 12, opposition parties immediately protested the move with the Congress, NCP and TMC staging a walkout. Earlier, the Congress, Trinamool, DMK, RJD, SP, Left, and NCP among others had submitted a memorandum to the Speaker, objecting to what it called was government’s “arrogance and unilateral move to bulldoze all financial business without discussing them in the House”.
However, TDP, TRS and YSR-Congress rushed to the Well shouting slogans. Samjawadi Party too entered the well protesting clamp down on the media by the Gorakhpur DM during the counting of votes.
Later through a voice vote, the fourth batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2017-18 were passed. Appropriation bills were also passed after negating several cut motions moved by the opposition parties.
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