Will the Opposition waste Rs 189 crore this Monsoon Session?Modi govt ready for debate on ‘Operation Sindoor’, yet disruption continues: Here’s how chaos has became a routine
The monsoon session of Parliament commenced on 21st July and is scheduled to continue till 21st August. During this 32-day period, Parliament is expected to convene 21 times. However, the first day was marked by significant disruption due to opposition uproar, leading to a complete halt in proceedings.
Initially, there was an interruption during the Question Hour as the Lok Sabha’s proceedings were suspended until 12 o’clock. Subsequently, they were postponed until 2 o’clock as a result of the continued chaos. This occurrence in Parliament is not an unusual phenomenon. Such events are commonplace among MPs across the country.
Nevertheless, the tendency to prevent Parliament from functioning for an entire day and to create a deadlock, even after prior consensus in earlier meetings, has become a recurring pattern for the opposition in India. The current state of affairs has gotten to the point where it is often anticipated that either a report would be released or a issue might surface to cause a stir and jeopardise the session before it even started.
Ceasing the proceedings leads to loss of crore
The initial day of the monsoon session, characterized by the massive unrest is an unfavorable indication. This session is scheduled to continue for 32 days, with Parliament meeting for 21 days. According to the rules, both houses are expected to run for 6 hours each day. This duration might also vary.
Nevertheless, even if Parliament operates for 21 days and adheres to a 6-hour schedule, it results in extensive expenditures. These expenses are sourced from the public funds, which are known as taxes. Former Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Acharya, many years ago, noted that running Parliament for just one minute incurs a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh.
This encompasses the salaries of Members of Parliament, utility bills for electricity and water along with various other expenditures. It is likely that this spending has significantly increased by now. However, if Rs 2.5 lakh is still regarded as the amount per minute, then hundreds of crores are set to be spent on this monsoon session.
According to basic calculation, Rs 189 crores is going to be expended on this session at this rate. The Parliament will probably meet for 126 hours across 21 days which equates to 7560 minutes of proceedings, taking the total to Rs 189 crores. Moreover, there are additional costs, such as the daily allowance of Rs 2500 provided to lawmakers for their attendance during the session.
These expenses continue to rise and while there is no objection to funding the nation’s democratic institution, the manner in which this session has commenced does not inspire confidence. The government has stated that it is open to discussions on all matters, including “Operation Sindoor,” in the all-party meeting organised prior to this session.
Meanwhile, the opposition insisted that there should be a debate regarding the Election Commission’s revision process in Bihar as well as the Air India tragedy and the government had also consented. However, the very first day was overshadowed by chaos. Hence, the concern that the public will be deceived once again, has intensified after approximately Rs 200 crores were reduced to mere placards and disorder.
Previous sessions have also been disrupted
This is not the first occasion on which a decision has been made to sabotage the Parliament session even before it commences. The opposition has pointed out the Election Commission’s actions in Bihar, Operation Sindoor and the remarks of United States President Donald Trump as focal points for this session. However, a similar script to disrupt the earlier Parliament sessions have been prepared every single time.
The opposition has raised issues ranging from unfounded claims of Pegasus surveillance to the Rafale deal and Hindenburg’s Adani report. They have been a major factor in ruining the Parliament sessions. The Congress and the opposition brought up the bogus Hindenburg report against the Adani Group, which resulted in disrupting the entire session, during the Budget Session 2023.
The opposition previously instigated a tumult over the BBC’s propaganda documentary featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also caused a row regarding the iphone notification, before the winter session of 2023. However, the company provided a clarification before the matter could escalate.
An unrest was generated over the Pegasus story with accusations that the government was involved in surveillance activities, in advance of the monsoon session in 2021. This story was later found to be false, yet it disrupted the Parliament session. Consequently, billions of rupees of public money were wasted.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that there was a scam concerning the purchase of Rafale aircraft, in 2021 after certain reports surfaced in the foreign media. The sessions of Parliament throughout 2021 were rife by considerable uproar. However, the groundless allegations could not withstand scrutiny in either Parliament or the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the time in Parliament continued to be wasted.
During this period, the time that should have have been dedicated to discussing new legislation in the country, amending existing laws and addressing public inquiries was instead utilized by the opposition to display placards and cause disturbances. Consequently, the opposition frequently created a condition of gridlock, intending to completely halt the parliamentary proceedings as much as possible.
Why is this trend worrisome
Both the ruling party and the opposition share equal responsibility for the functioning of Parliament. This situation is concerning as it allows other sectors of the system to expand their influence. A report showcased that the first Lok Sabha (1952-57) convened for 135 days each year, whereas the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24) met for merely 55 days.
The fact that chaos and disturbances dominated the 17th Lok Sabha for around half of the session is much more concerning. This not only squanders taxpayer money but also stops important bills from being discussed.
Hence, instead of merely creating chaos, the opposition should formulate a strategy to engage the government in Parliament based on logical arguments and evidence rather than halting the proceedings. This would not only bolster public confidence but also reinforce the country’s democracy and prevent the wastage of government funds.
Read the report in Hindi here.
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