Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die marking the completion of the winter session. The 237th Session of the Rajya Sabha ended this afternoon. In his valedictory remarks, Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari regretted that in terms of legislative work, the session was singularly unproductive.
Interruptions in the functioning of the House continued to result in loss of working time and neglect of the listed business. It denied the Members opportunities to seek accountability of the executive through questions, Zero Hour issues, discussions and debates on public interest and concern. It also reduced or eliminated the opportunities to scrutinize legislative proposals.
Mr Ansari observed that a functioning legislature is essential for democracy. Disruptions amount to its negation. He appealed to the members to introspect on this state of affairs and desist from any attempt to demean the stature of the Rajya Sabha. Wishing them well for the New Year, Mr Ansari adjourned the House sine die.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha came to an end after Congress members disrupted the proceedings over the alleged irregularities in Delhi and District Cricket Association, DDCA. They demanded the resignation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. However, amid the uproar created by the opposition members, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed the question hour. The Congress members in the meantime staged a walk out for a brief period but they returned soon.
Intervening amidst the opposition’s protest, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the opposition not to disrupt the proceedings and take part in the debate as it was the last day of the session. Mr Naidu hit out at the Congress for not performing the duty of a constructive opposition. The Minister said, the opposition behaved in an intolerant manner.
Later, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House sine die requesting the members to participate in the proceedings as much as they can. She informed the House that a total of 20 sittings were held during the winter session. A total of 13 bills were passed.
The Speaker has expunged her own vested interest remark made yesterday after Congress objects to it. Earlier, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarujun Kharge had demanded to expunge Speaker’s remarks.