Why is there a crisis in the functioning of parliament?
Political activity in India has increased following a US court ruling against industrialist Gautam Adani. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Thursday demanded a joint parliamentary committee on the entire issue. Rahul made the demand on the eve of the Parliament session.
The winter session of parliament is scheduled to be held from November 25 to December 20. The Adani issue had already gained momentum before the meeting began. He was told that the matter was likely to cause a great deal of commotion during the parliamentary session.
AAP-TMC also comes together with Congress
Like the Congress, many other opposition parties appear to be united on the issue. Replying to a question, Rahul Gandhi said that the Indian Union will also come together on this issue soon. The last time the Adani issue was raised in Parliament, most opposition parties sided with the Congress.
So far, Trinamool’s Mahua Moitra and AAP’s Sanjay Singh have raised questions on the issue. Both called for an investigation into the matter. The CPM has also asked the CBI to investigate.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also called this a protracted battle. In February 2023, the Lok Sabha was unable to function for three consecutive days over the Adani issue. However, despite the uproar, the government did not accept JJX’s request at the time.
Parliamentary discussion of these bills
The central government has notified Parliament to include the bill. According to the parliamentary communiqué, a total of 15 bills were proposed to the House of People and 18 bills to the House of Federation.
Prominent among them are Coastal Bill 2024, Indian Ports Bill 2024, Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill 2024, Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024. All these bills are new and will be introduced in Parliament for the first time.
The government is heavily promoting water trade through the Coasts and Ports Bill.
Focus on waqf and one nation one election bill
Apart from these bills, the government may also introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill and the One Nation One Election Bill in this session. The final decision on the waqf bill will be taken after a report from a joint parliamentary committee. This has been made clear by key leaders of the BJP recently.
The Waqf Amendment Bill was introduced in the last session, but the government withdrew the bill after TDP and JDU opposed it. The parliamentary joint committee discussion on the waqf bill was also in the news.
The government could also pass the One Nation One Act this session. A committee headed by former president Ramnath Kovind had submitted its report on the matter to the government a few months ago. However, many opposition parties oppose the bill.
One minute of litigation cost Rs 2.50 lakh
Former Lok Sabha Speaker PDT Achari recently revealed the budget expenditure on parliamentary proceedings in a report in English newspaper Financial Express. According to Achari, a one-minute hearing in Parliament cost Rs 2.5 lakh.
The spending also includes parliamentary security and MPs’ salaries and allowances. This money belongs to the taxpayer and is received by the Department of Parliamentary Affairs from its operations.
