Govt unhappy over disruptions as 17 bills fail to get cleared

With disruptions becoming order of the day, government has expressed disappointment over the failure to get as many as 17 bills passed in the Monsoon session of Parliament which concluded today.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal regretted that the main task of Parliament to make laws had taken a back seat despite the session being made a five-week affair.

In an obvious dig at the BJP, he said political differences should not come in the way of law making process.

Bansal lamented that Question Hour could not be taken up in Parliament from day two of the sitting. The crucial hour when members can put questions to the government was not taken up during 16 of the 25 sittings of Parliament.

He said the Lok Sabha lost 61 hours while the Rajya Sabha lost 57 hours to disruptions.

During the session, 14 Bills -- 11 in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha -- were introduced.  The Lok Sabha passed 13 Bills and the Rajya Sabha passed nine bills during the session.

In the Lok Sabha, five Short Duration Discussions under Rule 193 were held on Commonwealth Games, Relief and Resettlement of Tamils in Sri Lanka, widespread corruption in the country and issues relating to setting up of a Lokpal.