Lok Sabha.
Credit: PTI photo
New Delhi: The Budget Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die a day before schedule on Friday, a move that has attracted criticism from the Opposition which alleged that a "skittish" government has cut the session short because the Opposition "out-debated them on every issue".
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned in the afternoon, as the government got the Budget and associated Bills as well as The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 in Lok Sabha. The government also introduced another ten bills during the session, including the one on Wakf management that was sent to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told a press conference that the productivity of Lok Sabha during the Budget Session was 136 per cent and that of Rajya Sabha was 118 per cent.
The session saw the Opposition continuing its aggressive stand from the first session in June with Leader of Opposition in Rahul Gandhi seeking to set the tone of Opposition agenda in Lok Sabha, including during the general discussion on budget. The General Budget discussion lasted for more than 27:19 hours in Lok Sabha in which 181 MPs participated.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters, “after many years, neither the Budget session nor the entire Parliament session was washed out even for a single day, and we saw very good business transactions in both Houses along with active participation from the members.”
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said, “For the 11th time, a skittish Modi government has cut Parliament sessions short. After being out-debated on every subject, including Budget, Modi's NDA runs away from Parliament. This is a clear sign of weakness.”
“Though the Monsoon Session was scheduled till August 12, both Houses adjourned sine die today. This is not a good practice. In Lok Sabha, PM Modi attended only three days of this session,” Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore said.
Short Duration Discussions on 'India’s preparedness for upcoming Olympic Games' and 'Tragic incident of death of students in a coaching institute in Delhi due to alleged negligence of authorities' were taken up in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively.
The session also saw acrimonious scenes in both Houses over Wayanad landslides and disqualification of Vinesh Phogat in Olympics.