Parliament session concludes: Lok Sabha productivity 34%, Rajya Sabha 24.4%
What's the story
The Budget Session of Parliament came to an end on Thursday as both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha adjourned sine die (for an indefinite period). Massive chaos was witnessed on the final day of the Budget Session's second leg as opposition members took out a "Tiranga March" to Vijay Chowk from Parliament after the adjournment of the Lok Sabha.
Context
Why does this story matter?
This Budget Session of the Centre turned out to be the most unproductive one since the 2021 Monsoon Session in terms of performance. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-led Opposition disrupted the parliamentary proceedings daily over demands for discussions into the Gautam Adani-Hindenburg issue and Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha disqualification since his conviction in a 2019 "Modi surname" case.
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Lok Sabha's productivity at 34%, Rajya Sabha's at 24.4%
According to Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal, the productivity of the Lok Sabha during the 2023 Budget Session was nearly 34%, while Rajya Sabha's productivity was 24.4%. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the Opposition's recent behavior lowered the House's dignity and alleged that they disrupted House proceedings "systematically."
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Congress v/s BJP over Gandhi
Since the Budget Session resumed after a break, the BJP has been demanding that Gandhi come to Rajya Sabha and apologize for his "democracy is in danger" comments. However, Congress countered this argument by saying that someone who is no longer an MP cannot be called to the House. Notably, Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in a defamation case.
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Whole Parliament session was washout: Kharge
On the other hand, Congress President and veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge stated, "The whole Parliament session was a washout. If you want democracy to be alive, then listening to the opposition is important." "He (Gandhi) has been disqualified from the Parliament, still they are demanding an apology. It seems they are trying to weaken the opposition," Kharge was quoted as saying by ANI.
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Rijiju's response to Kharge
BJP leader and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in response claimed that the opposition leaders once again created a ruckus in the House on Thursday. "The country is seeing what Congress is doing. Congress neither believes in the Constitution of India nor respects the law," he said. "Today, again Congress MPs and other opposition leaders created a ruckus in the House," added Rijiju.
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Know about Gandhi's remarks in UK that triggered row
Controversy erupted after the former Congress President attacked the BJP-led Union government while speaking at Cambridge University on February 28. During his speech on Learning to Listen in the 21st Century, Gandhi stated that opposition leaders were being spied on by using Israeli spyware Pegasus, and that there was currently "an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy."
Bills
Budget Session saw bills passed without single debate
In fact, the budgetary process was completed in a similar fashion last month. On March 27, the Rajya Sabha passed five bills in a matter of minutes, including the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2023; the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2023; the Appropriation Bill, 2023; and the Finance Bill, 2023. Notably, no debate was held on any of the bills.