New Delhi:
The monsoon session of parliament – logjammed by the Opposition over the police action on student protests in Delhi over exam paper leaks – was not a complete washout, the list of bills indicate. Live Updates
While there has been no move yet on the contentious FCRA or the delimitation bills, the government, the list shows, has managed to push through no less than 19 bills. And there are two more days to go for the session to end.
The manner in which these bills were passed is debatable. All got passed without a debate. At one point, seven bills were passed in just 36 minutes-averaging one bill every five minutes. Some bills took longer because MPs had moved amendments to them.
Read: Protest vs Protest Outside Parliament Over Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Ram Temple
The work hours of the two houses reveal more.
If one assumes six hours of daily parliamentary proceedings, there should have been 90 hours of work over 15 days. The Lok Sabha, however, clocked only 15 hours and 36 minutes of work in this session.
In contrast, the Rajya Sabha recorded 24 hours and 21 minutes of work over 15 days, with an average of about one hour spent passing each bill.
Essentially, the government managed to complete its legislative agenda despite the uproar.
The Opposition had adopted a strategy of sloganeering while bills were being passed. But realising that the government has the numbers and the bills were being pushed through despite the commotion, they shifted tactics.
The vocal protests gave way to walkouts.
Over the last two days, the Opposition has consistently employed the walkout strategy in the Rajya Sabha.
Read: After Rahul Gandhi’s “Want Debate In Parliament” Demand, Kiren Rijiju’s “Don’t Run Away” Swipe
The government’s most significant achievement this monsoon session was the passing of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill. The bill saw 11 hours of debate in the Lok Sabha and 7 hours and 14 minutes in the Rajya Sabha.
What has been most affected in this session is the Question Hour — it did not take place at all.
The statistics for the 18th Lok Sabha shows a significant portion of Question Hour time has been lost to persistent uproar and disruptions.
- * Monsoon Session 2024: 3 per cent of Question Hour time lost
- * Winter Session 2024: 56 per cent of the time lost
- * Budget Session 2025: 22 per cent of the time lost
- * Monsoon Session 2025: 77 per cent of the time lost
- * Winter Session 2025: 33 per cent of the time lost
- * Budget Session 2026: Over 12 days, Question Hour lasted less than 15 minutes
- * Monsoon Session 2026: Question Hour continued to be disrupted by uproar
The loss of question Hour means the Members did not get an opportunity to ask questions.
Read: Amit Shah ‘Ready To Discuss Queries In Parliament’ On Delhi Police Crackdown
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has repeatedly expressed concern over this matter, yet the situation remains unresolved.
There is little hope of the situation improving until the government and the Opposition choose to address it.
