For two days during the recently concluded budget session, the MPs were in Parliament from 11 am to 4 am. Seventeen hours on Trot. Certainly, parliamentary democracy is all energetic and top form. Correct ? No, completely wrong. Do not let the deprived all-night-long sessions cheat you. To borrow a sentence used by the columnist Veer Sanghvi, “Parliament is being transformed into a deep, dark chamber”.
The statutory proposal for the declaration of President’s rule in Manipur was reported on 13 February 2025. Parliament recommended on 10 March. Then this discussion took place at the end of the session on Manipur? Why was the government saving from the subject for about three weeks? Worse, why in the dead of night? Only 44 minutes in Lok Sabha.
What happened in the Rajya Sabha was even more upset. Three hours were allotted for discussion. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used only two minutes a 75 minutes, which were allotted. In fact, when the initial speaker of BJP was just two minutes in his speech, his party’s floor leaders closed him. Indifferentness infinite.
Some more notes from the diary.
1. Voting on Waqf Bill
Voting on the Waqf Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the opposition ended with 95 votes. If this therapy was not for emergency conditions, a century can be scored well. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Shibu Soren and Mahua Majhi were advised not to travel by doctors. Sharad Pawar from Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Subrata Bakshi from All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) were also absent for the same reason. We all wish them a quick and complete recovery. In addition, one vote from the opposition was declared invalid due to technology.
2. No Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha
Another session is over and there is still no Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha. It has been almost 300 days since the current Lok Sabha started. Article 93 of the Constitution may “be as soon as possible” the election of a sub -orator. Nevertheless, a constitutional post remains vacant.
3. No notice was accepted from opposition
Not a single notice raised by the opposition was accepted for discussion. Last time a notice was admitted to the Rajya Sabha from an opposition MP, 16 months ago, in December 2023, when the columnist discussed the ‘economic situation in the country’.
Another important parliamentary equipment used by MPs in the opposition to hold the government responsible is a calling attention motion, “allows an MP to attract the minister’s attention in the case of immediate public importance”. The focus of final calling was accepted on floods in Kerala in July 2024. Opposition parties pushed among others to discuss issues like voter ID, youth unemployment repetition, youth unemployment. The government saw another way.
4. Opposition’s new strategy
When the time is being denied to speak or when the issues are not being allowed to increase, the opposition resorted to a new strategy. Long -term protests were replaced with short walkouts – these always lasted for about 10 to 30 minutes. The point was made and the MPs returned to the house to participate. Come out and go back. This columnist remembers this strategy from the playbook of the late Sitaram Yechury.
5. PM’s vote
PM Modi was abroad after voting on the Waqf bill. History will record that he did not support the bill. Or oppose it. Or avoid.
6. Deepak convocation ceremony
In 17 parties, forty -five MPs gathered at India International Center, Lodhi Road. Opportunities: The 15th annual convocation ceremony of the young legislative assistants (intern), who spent each year with an MP who was assigned to him. The MPs praised the outgoing legislative assistants for the Member of Parliament (Lamp), many of whom were with their proud parents.
7. Launch the book
How can Parliament session be done without a book launch! Two DMK MPs launched their books. Tiruchi Shiva published a collection of his WhatsApp Good Morning messages. His colleague, Dr. Tea. Sumathi launched his book Beatrice Web: A picture of a reformistBoth books were launched at different places at the same time at the same time.
8. Who captained the BJP?
The Home Minister was the headliners of the government in this session. He piloted three bills from his ministry and spoke for 45 minutes on Waqf, which he did not pilot. Amit Shah was a BJP batsman, bowler and fielder. For a change, he was also seen more than once in cafeteria, interacting with MPs at parties. Interesting time. As a colleague saw, is it 240 effects? Or it can captain a 52 -year -old graduate a very large state. Curious competition. watch this space.
(Derek O’Brien, MP, leads Trinamool Congress in Rajya Sabha)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
