Budget session sets several records, but Opposition derails reforms agenda

The just concluded budget session of Parliament has set several records. It has seen the highest instances of recorded voting, instead of just voice vote, on legislations in the past 15 years.

So far in the 16th Lok Sabha, 17 per cent of the bills have been passed by recorded voting, according to the PRS legislative research. On an average in the past 15 years, each Lok Sabha saw about five per cent of the bills being passed by recorded voting. However, these did not include Constitutional Amendments.

Legislative business comprised 28% of the total business in Parliament. Bills replacing Ordinances were 39%, which included the contentious land acquisition bill, of the total legislation introduced. But, the highest number of such bills in the last ten years was in the budget session of 2008, when the ratio was 42%, the PRS said.

As the budget session of Parliament came to an end, the government flaunted the "record" number of sittings in one year compared to the past ten years, but the Opposition gloated over derailing the reform agenda. The Opposition, which outnumbers the government in Rajya Sabha, has managed to defer two key bills– Goods and Services Tax (GST) and land acquisition bill.

Reeling out statistics while addressing the media, parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu said that since May, 2014, the Lok Sabha held 90 sittings while the Rajya Sabha had 87, the highest in the last ten years. Both the Houses have passed 47 Bills, the best in the last six years, he said. He also said government was keen on a mandatory minimum 100 sittings of Parliament each year as recommended by the Conference of Chief Whips and Floor Leaders of Legislatures, with the cooperation of all concerned.

He said both Houses have passed 24 Bills, the highest in a budget sessions in the last six years. Lok Sabha worked for 117% of the scheduled time while the productivity of Rajya Sabha was 101%. Lok Sabha had 35 sittings during this Budget session, the highest in the last five years while Rajya Sabha held 32 sittings, the second best in the last five years, the Minister said.

The Opposition side too could claim to have set records in Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA is in a minority. After several years, an amendment was passed to the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address leaving the government embarrassed. AIADMK MP Tiruchi Shiva broke a 47 year record by getting Private member bill, on the rights of transgenders, unanimously approved in the House.

Naidu informed that during this Budget session, Lok Sabha has lost 6 hours and 54 minutes due to interruptions but made up for the lost time by giving up lunch hours and working beyond scheduled time for 42 hours and 41 minutes. Rajya Sabha lost 18 hours and 28 minutes but gained 20 hours.

"The Government is going to complete one year in office soon. I am happy to report that during the last one year, there has been a perceptible improvement in the functioning of the Parliament marking a beginning of restoration of people's respect for democratic institutions. This is a significant achievement for all the concerned,"he said.

While GST and land acqusition bills have been referred to parliamentary panels, the government brandished passage of operationalization of Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, Black Money Bill, Enactments relating to transparent allocation of coal and other minerals.

On the last day of the session, government pushed most of the Bills without getting them properly examined by the parliamentary standing committees which has been the trend since 1993. Congress group leader Mallikarjun Kharge led an Opposition walkout in the Lok Sabha when Minister of State for Personnel Dr Jitendra Singh turned down his plea to send the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill to the standing committee since in any case the government has to wait till the next session for its consideration by the Rajya Sabha in view of its adjournment sine die on Wednesday.

The Lok Sabha also passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, with minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha replying to the debate to explain that it will nullify a Supreme Court judgment of August 1 last year and fix jurisdiction of the bounced cheques in the court where the payee had deposits them in the bank.