The way the Inder Kumar Gujral government faced Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session is unprecedented in the countrys parliamentary history, feel senior MPs and Union ministers. Indeed, there appears to be a growing feeling that Parliament has been treated in a most casual and cavalier manner.
Yesterday, the entire post-lunch business in the Rajya Sabha collapsed as the house had to be adjourned for a lack of quorum. The mandatory quorum bell rang for full 10 minutes, but the required quorum of 25 members could not be mustered for the house to conduct business.
The Lok Sabha too was adjounred for lack of quorum even after the bell was rung thrice after lunch.
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Union minister for parliamentary affairs Srikanta Jena has come in for trenchant criticism for poor floor management in both houses as evident during the last three days. Three bills have either fallen through or were withdrawn due to lack of coordination: the IRA bill, the bill on restricting non-serious candidates in presidential and vice-presidential election, and the bill seeking to regulate the operations of security agencies.
There has been an obvious lack of floor coordination from the treasury benches. Of course, the BJP is not obliged to bail out the government. As a party in opposition it has done what it deems fit. I think the BJP has taken the government for a ride on the IRA bill, says senior CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee. Former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar says he has never witnessed such lack of decency, audacity and fall in parliamentary standards. He regrets that MPs often use abusive language, disrespect the chair and generally take a casual-even cavalier-approach to parliament.
He feels parliamentary standards began to deteriorate after Balram Jakhar took over as the speaker. Of the 17 sitting days in the monsoon session, barely four days are left next week. Despite the interest taken by speaker P A Sangma, the government is yet to decide on the womens reservation bill.
There are little indications of the Lok Pal bill being taken up as well. besides, There are several other bills which are unlikely to see the light of day in this session.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Najma Heptullah has expressed anguish at the growing tendency of ministers not to respond to important zero hour submissions. It is an anguish that nobody is answering during zero hour. I am not getting anybody to give an answer...Everybody is shifting responsibility...Members should decide what could be done...Whether there should be another forum, she remarked on Thursday.
Leader of the opposition Atal Behari Vajpayee remarked: The government is not capable of even managing the floor in both houses of parliament, let alone managing the countrys affairs. It is making a mockery of democracy.
As a way out, there is a suggestion within the United Front that a parliamentary committee consisting of floor leaders of all its constituents should be formed. There is also talk of setting up the much-awaited coordination committee between the United Front government and the Congress in order to avoid further embasrassment to the government.
Yesterday, a senior cabinet minister admitted to the lack of coordination within the coalition, and said the government must accept the responsibility for the mess over the last three days. He, however, regretted Heptullahs decision to extend time beyond schedule on Thursday, which led to the bill restricting non-serious candidates in presidential election falling through.
We expected that the house will adjourn just after the Union law minister introduced the bill at 5 pm as the business advisory committee had decided, he said. But Heptullah took the unprecedented decision to extend the scheduled time even after strong opposition from the treasury benches, he said.
Time is extended only when there is a consensus in the house. But the deputy chairperson has set a bad precedent, the minister said.