PARLIAMENT WINDS UP SESSION ON FRIDAY

6 May 2010

PARLIAMENT WINDS UP SESSION ON FRIDAY

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Parliament ends its two-phase budget session on Friday as scheduled, leaving a lot many legislations remain hanging because of repeated disruptions and adjournments days together.

The government wanted to get the session extended by another two or three days next week, but the business advisory committees of both the Houses felt a climate of disruptions will continue and hence better put off pending Bills for a little longer monsoon session in July-August.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is sad that Parliament is basically for legislating the laws but the members just did not allow the Houses to function, forcing the government to get some 10 Bills passed by the Lok Sabha without any discussion. The Bills were passed even as agitated members continued pandemonium in the House well which is not a good practice, Bansal admitted while pointing out that there was no other option.

Even on Thursday, both the Houses witnessed adjournments. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar cancelled the lunch break in view of the heavy agenda but she helplessly adjourned the House within five minutes of cancellation because of the noisy scenes over demand to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum scam causing an alleged loss of Rs 1,00,000 crores to the exchequer.

The AIADMK members demanding dismissal of Telecom Minister A Raja for the scam now being probed by the CBI stormed wells of both the Houses as soon as the day's sitting began for question hour. Meira Kumar got them back to their seats, assuring to allow their leader Thambidurai to speak in zero hour while Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the Rajya Sabha for 10 minutes on the AIADMK members storming the well and showing CDs played by TV channels on how Raja manipulated the spectrum allocation. The AIADMK members staged walkout raising slogans when the House re-assembled, with the chairman observing that their conduct is "disgraceful."

The DMK members led by former minister T R Baalu repeatedly interrupted AIADMK leader Thambidurai during zero hour, right from the start on the ground that he was making personal allegations against the Telecom Minister. Thambidurai insisted that he was only stating facts and no personal charges, though he went on referring to role of the minister in the scam and the CBI probe even while Baalu protested that there was no probe against Minister Raja.

Thambidurai wanted that Raja should be kept away from the telecom ministry until the CBI probe into the scam is completed and sought a JPC to investigate his role in the scam. Other opposition parties joined sloganeering that ensued from the AIADMK members causing pandemonium, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House until 2 p,m.

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