The election of the 15th President of the Republic marked the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament last week. The process is on for the election of the new Vice-President. The current session will be historic in more than one way.
It will be the last to be held in the circular Parliament House before Parliament moves to its new building for the Winter Session.
After a gap of two years, this is the first session that does not see much worry about the deadly Covid-19. Although the Galleries are still near empty, chambers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha see members sitting quite comfortably, without undue worry about distance from each other.
Throughout the week, there was slogan-shouting by Opposition members in both Houses, demanding immediate discussion on price-rise and roll-back of GST increases.
Parliament had reconvened after three months and the Opposition had pent-up feelings on various issues. The Presidential election too had consolidated the Opposition by putting up a candidate against the NDA’s nominee. The Government conveyed it was ready to have discussions on any issue under proper notice.
As the Government pressed to go through the Question Hours, there were hardly any supplementary questions which make the question-answer sessions really meaningful.
There was constant slogan-shouting in the background, and many members said they would ask the supplementary queries if the House was in order. Once again, the Rajya Sabha witnessed quick adjournments. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu wanted cooperation from members as this was the last session to be presided over by him before his retirement.
The Elders however did not respond, and the daily bulletins of the House carried long lists of members who disrupted the proceedings and entered the well of the House.
A common feature witnessed in both Houses was the Opposition members carried clearly written placards. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told the members that they come to the House to discuss issues and not to indulge in slogan-shouting.
The atmosphere of disruption prevailed throughout the week. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh had to tell members on several occasions not to make videos or take photographs in the House.
Taking of oath by new members and obituary references by the presiding officers contributed to orderly proceedings for some time. There were a large number of official announcements and laying of papers too. On the first day, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day before 12 noon.
This was also the day for voting in the Presidential election. Speaker Birla said the Presidential election is an occasion of national celebration. As the din created by slogan-shouting continued, Birla adjourned the House for more than two hours, and then for the day, after five minutes.
He told the Lower House that it was now in full strength with the election of four new members in recent by-elections. The Speaker urged the members to maintain the dignity and decorum of the House and tried to cheer them up. The Opposition had already announced it wanted to raise issues related to Centre-State relations and alleged misuse of Central agencies like ED.
The Question Hour in the Lok Sabha was either lost or cut short by adjournments due to disruptions. In the Rajya Sabha too the Question Hour was lost in adjournments on the first three days. On the fourth day, there was a brief adjournment during the Hour.
On Friday, the private members’ business was taken up in the Upper House. Recalling the horrors of Covid-19, RJD member Manoj Jha spoke on his Bill, the Right to Health Bill, 2021 seeking health as a fundamental right for all citizens.
The Lok Sabha deferred the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 on Thursday to ensure Opposition participation in its debate. The Bill was still passed the next day after just two members, Jayant Sinha (BJP) and Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD), spoke on it.