MPs received a 15-day notice ahead of the commencement of the Budget Session. Usually, a 21-day notice has to be given to MPs but the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had admitted earlier that due to various reasons, this was not adhered to on several occasions.
New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday found fault with the Narendra Modi government for summoning Parliament for its Budget Session with just a notice of 15 days, saying it is one of the many ills that is turning Parliament into a “deep, dark chamber”.
President Droupadi Murmu had on January 17 summoned the Parliament to hold the Budget Session from January 31.
Usually, a 21-day notice has to be given to MPs but the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had admitted earlier that due to various reasons, this was not adhered to on several occasions.
“The diminishing lead time between the issuance of summons and the commencement of sessions is only one of the many ills that is turning Parliament into a deep, dark chamber,” Trinamool Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said.
He said he had in 2019 moved a bill seeking 100 days of sittings of Parliament in a year and a calendar for sessions. “If schools and colleges can set up their calendars way in advance, why can’t Parliament?,” he asked.
He also said MPs are elected not just to legislate, but also to hold the government accountable, scrutinise its actions, and debate matters of national importance. “These responsibilities will be fulfilled far better with a structured and predictable Parliamentary calendar,” he added.
Other than the very first session of the new Lok Sabha, three sessions during 2014-19 were called with a notice less than 15 days while it was only one during 2009-14 and five during 2004-09.