New Delhi, 13 August (H.S.):

The government on Thursday alleged that, for the first time in the country’s democratic history, the Opposition repeatedly shied away from participating in parliamentary debates despite repeated calls from the government to engage in discussions.

Addressing the media after the conclusion of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the session delivered satisfactory results in terms of legislation, with 12 Bills being passed, but fell short in terms of debate and deliberation. He said the overall productivity of the Lok Sabha stood at 19 per cent, while that of the Rajya Sabha was 39 per cent.

Both Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal and L. Murugan, Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Nikunj Dhar and Additional Secretary Satya Prakash were also present at the press conference.

Rijiju said the government was not satisfied with the level of debate during the session. Referring to his nearly three decades of experience in parliamentary life, he said he had witnessed something during the current session that he had never seen or heard before.

“For the first time, I saw the Opposition avoiding debate,” Rijiju said. He noted that in a parliamentary democracy, the Opposition is expected to question the government and seek answers, but during this session, the Opposition repeatedly stayed away from discussions while the government continued to call for debates.

He said the Opposition even prevented Question Hour from functioning on several occasions and was unwilling to listen to the government's responses.

Responding to a question, Rijiju said that in the Lok Sabha, 11 of the 12 Bills were passed without discussion, with the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill being the only exception. He added that in the Rajya Sabha, most members participated in debates, barring a section of the Congress.

Taking a dig at the Congress, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said many of its MPs had apparently begun to believe that their role in Parliament was limited to waving placards and raising slogans.

“I feel bad for the new Congress MPs. I am a sensitive person and can understand the pain of Congress MPs,” Rijiju said.

He expressed hope that the Winter Session of Parliament would witness more constructive proceedings and meaningful debates.

The minister also thanked the media for its positive coverage of parliamentary affairs.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar