The Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation process has held the country's highest legislative body to ransom since November 10, the second day of the ongoing winter session. The slew of disruptions and walk-outs in Parliament, even as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government remains cornered by allegations of corruptions, recently prompted Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to reprimand the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Opposition for its riotous tactics.
“During the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha, there hasn't been a single session where disruptions have not taken place. Parliament is meant for debate and discussion. Parliament is not meant for disruption,” Mukherjee said on November 20. But in the 15th Lok Sabha alone, functioning since last year, 220 hours have been lost due to disruptions in both houses of the Parliament, with the first eight days of the current session only seeing 11 per cent and 2 per cent productivity in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.
Apart from the sheer loss of productive time, there is also the monetary impact of the upper and lower houses being unable to function. Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had earlier stated an estimate that it costs about Rs 14,00,000 per hour to run Parliament.
And if this estimate is followed, the exchequer has lost Rs 30.8 crore in the 15th Lok Sabha, primarily due to disruptions. Additionally, there is also the daily allowance of Rs 2,000 that is given to every member who attends Parliament when it is in session. Currently, the Lok Sabha has 546 member, while the Rajya Sabha houses 434 members. The BJP, however, is hardly perturbed by this number, instead arguing that it was “playing the role of a responsible Opposition.” The 2G spectrum allocation, after all, cost the exchequer up to Rs 1.76 lakh crore. “Coercive instrument is part of parliamentary politics. But for this action on part of the Bharatiya Janata Party, (A) Raja would not have resigned. One has to understand the fact that in a parliamentary democracy, it is the role of the opposition to monitor the government and expose its incorrect practices,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.(Click for graph)
“Yes there are losses due to parliamentrary disruptions, but one has to understand that we have debated and argued to no avail. Sushmaji voiced her protests in the Lok Sabha but no action was taken. We had no way out,” Prasad added.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari, on his part, toed the line previously drawn by Mukherjee. “Rs 30 crore is a large sum of money, but the larger issue is the manner in which a democracy is conducted. Parliament is being held hostage,” Tiwari said. The government today passed the Supplementary Demand for Grants for the General Budget in the Lok Sabha today in a voice vote while the opposition’s disruption continued. The Supplementary Demand for Grants for the railways is slated for passing in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. After the passage of these two financial matters, the government will have no pressing business left during the Winter Session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal insisted that the government is in no mood to adjourn the House abruptly. He indicated the government may use the available time to introduce or pass some of its pending legislative business.