Another stormy session ends

Another unsuccessful Parliament session for the government came to an end on Thursday. The UPA allotted 26 working days for the session and conceded more time on opposition-sponsored debates. Parliament monsoon session 2011

Another unsuccessful Parliament session for the government came to an end on Thursday. The UPA allotted 26 working days for the session and conceded more time on opposition-sponsored debates.

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Still, it failed to reach anywhere near its target: 14 bills were introduced against the target of 32, and passed 10 out of the planned 35 bills in Parliament during the session.

Both Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari complained about frequent disruptions in the House. Ansari quipped in his valedictory remarks: "Being the monsoon session, it has lived up to its appellation with stormy proceedings." Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal lamented, "People send us to Parliament to make laws. We

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have failed to perform our duties."

The Lok Sabha functioned for 104.03 hours during the politically stormy session. It spent 13 hours and 41 minutes talking about the supremacy of the Parliament in lawmaking, while discussing the Lokpal logjam. But spent only 24 hours and 43 minutes in actual debate and passing government bills.

“The government passed 14 bills, but Lok Sabha couldn’t discuss terrorism, foreign direct investment in retail and fertiliser crisis,” CPM leader Basudeb Acharia alleged.

The session came amid the perceived onslaught of social activist Anna Hazare’s group on the UPA government over the Lokpal Bill.

The Rajya Sabha also passed its first impeachment motion in its history. But as Justice Soumitra Sen resigned before the Lok Sabha was scheduled to take up the motion, the impeachment process fell through.

The UPA, however, missed chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s direct guidance during this session as she had to undergo surgery abroad.