Lok Sabha Debates
Regarding Reduction In Sittings Of Parliament Sessions. on 23 October, 2008
> Title : Regarding reduction in sittings of Parliament Sessions.
SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): Sir, I have been trying to raise this issue from the beginning of this Session. Unfortunately, Parliament has met in 2008 only for 34 days if you take into consideration today’s sitting also. It is a hearsay - nobody has confirmed – that the House may be adjourned tomorrow and we may again meet in December. I do not know. MR. SPEAKER: How many hours of business was there per day?
SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): Sir, I will come to that. Even if the House meets in December, it means the House will be meeting for not more than 50 days in the year 2008 and 2008 has not been an extraordinary year. There has been no emergency. There has been no natural calamity. There can be no objective reason for not calling the Session for more than 50 days. We should meet for 100 days as has been requested by the Conference of Speakers repeatedly and on which the Government had made positive assertions in the House itself. Therefore, with a heavy heart I am saying that it appears to me as if the Government is running away from Parliament. I hope the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs does not run away from the House when the matter is being raised. With a heavy heart I have to say that it seems that the Government is running away from Parliament. MR. SPEAKER: Let us hope that people do not run away from the Members.
SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): It seems that the Government is running away from Parliament. I do not know the reason. There may be reason and the Government may kindly clarify whether the Government did not want the House to meet so that dissidents can be raised about the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and before the Deal is ratified by the American Parliament, the Indian Parliament should not meet to make any voice of dissidents. I do not know whether that was also a `Deal’ that the Indian Parliament will not meet before the Deal is ratified by the American Parliament. I do not know whether that assurance was there and whether that was the ‘Deal’. But the question appears that the Parliament is being subjected to political exigency of a particular political party which is in power today. It is not only unfortunate but it is parliamentary illegitimacy. Not only that, parliamentary system is being tinkered with and the very foundation of the Indian Constitution is being abjectly assaulted by the behaviour in which the Government is dealing with the Parliament now-a-days. I rise not on my behalf but on behalf of my colleagues to put on record my deep protest in the way in which the Parliament is being misused by the Congress Party which is leading the Government. They are misusing the Parliament… (Interruptions). Sir, this is the problem. MR. SPEAKER: You have made your point.
SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): : Sir, I have not finished… (Interruptions)[R30] (y/1250/snb-rjs) The Monsoon Session was not held… (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: You have made your submission. You have finished now.
… (Interruptions)
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA (BANKURA): Sir, the Monsoon Session was dispensed with… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: You associate with him.
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA (BANKURA): Sir, in my 29 years of parliamentary life I have never seen a Monsoon Session being dispensed with… (Interruptions) SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): If the Government has to say anything, then let the hon. Minister respond… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: I will not allow anything.
… (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: If the hon. Minister wants to respond, then I do not know.
… (Interruptions)
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA (BANKURA): The Monsoon Session was scheduled to start from the 11th of August, why was it not called on the 11th of August? … (Interruptions) The Government owes an explanation… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Prof. Ramadass.
SHRI P.C. THOMAS (MUVATTUPUZHA): Sir, the entire Monsoon Session has been dispensed with… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Not one word of Shri P.C.Thomas would be recorded.
(Interruptions) * … (Not recorded) MR. SPEAKER: This is misuse of an opportunity.
SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): Sir, this is misuse of Parliament… (Interruptions)
PROF. M. RAMADASS (PONDICHERRY): Sir, I wish to draw the attention of the Government… (Interruptions) SHRI GURUDAS DASGUPTA (PANSKURA): Sir, the hon. Minister wishes to respond… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: If he volunteers to respond, then I cannot help it.
… (Interruptions)
* Not recorded THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI VAYALAR RAVI ) : Sir, I do not want to quote the Constitution and the rules, but it has been mentioned there that there can be a gap of six months between holding of two Sessions of Parliament… (Interruptions) But the point the hon. Member making is… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: You are volunteering to respond, you may carry on.
… (Interruptions)
SHRI VAYALAR RAVI: Sir, they are making an allegation… (Interruptions)
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA (BANKURA): One Session was not held… (Interruptions)
SHRI VAYALAR RAVI: If you go through the old records you can see. But can you give an example where in the last four years , 35 to 39 per cent of the days of the sittings of the House were wasted because of disturbance by the Opposition? How can you say like that?… (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Very well, I will adjourn the House.
Shri Ramadass, I will take up your matter tomorrow.
12 .52 h ours rs.
The Lok Sabha then adjourned till Fourteen of the Clock.
1 (z/1400/ru-rps) 1 4.03 hrs. 1404 hours The Lok Sabha re-assembled at four minutes past Fourteen of the Clock.
(Mr. Deputy-Speakerin the Chair) MATTERS UNDER RULE 377 -- LAID * MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: W We will now take up Matters under Rule 377. They may be laid on the Table of the House and will form part of the proceedings.