Questions of 23 suspended Rajya Sabha parliamentarians cancelled

According to officials, the rules of the House state that a suspended member can’t participate in the House proceedings, of which questions are a part.

A question on the ambitious project of providing drinking water to all households and a few on organic farming are among a host of posers cancelled following the suspension of 23 lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday (PTI)

According to officials, the rules of the House state that a suspended member can’t participate in the House proceedings, of which questions are a part. An official familiar with the matter cited a circular that said, “Notices tabled by the Members prior to their suspension shall not be admitted or included in the List of Business or Lists of Questions...”

In the Rajya Sabha, where 23 lawmakers were suspended for different durations last week, the starred questions that were listed against their names cannot be taken up, as per rules of suspension, said the official on Monday, asking not to be named.

On July 28, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh had asked the minister of culture if out of five lakh historical monuments in the country, only 3,700 monuments are under government protection and if so, the details of the measures being taken to protect and preserve unprotected monuments that are currently facing the threat of extinction, and whether many historical monuments in the country are facing the problem of encroachment. He also sought to know the details and the action being taken by government to free them from encroachment?

Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen had a starred question listed against his name on the same day. He wanted information from the minister of environment, forest and climate change about the total budgetary allocation and utilisation of funds for reducing pollution in metro cities in the country and state capitals under National Mission for Green India since the year 2017. Referring to the World Air Quality Report, 2020, in which 22 out of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India, he sought to know the steps the government is planning to take to reduce air pollution.

On July 29, TMC’s suspended MP, Shanta Chhetri, had a starred question against her name. She wanted the minister of agriculture and farmers to list the measures to promote organic farming in hilly terrains such as Darjeeling Hills, as the process of farming is different in hilly terrains. She also wanted details of the benefits received by farmers cultivating in hilly and mountain ranges of the country under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY).

The involvement of agricultural scientists in promoting organic farming was the question listed against AAP MP Sushil Kumar Gupta’s name. Gupta, along with party colleague Sandeep Kumar Pathak and independent MP Ajit Bhuyan, was suspended on Friday. Gupta had sought information on whether the government has taken any steps to encourage agriculture scientists to associate themselves with initiatives taken by various states to promote organic farming; the other steps being taken to help farmers to substantially enhance their income.

On Monday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who was arrested on Sunday night, had a starred question listed. He wanted the Jal Shakti minister to furnish details of the Har Ghar Nal Yojana to provide drinking water to every house in the country; and whether the government had received a large number of complaints regarding shortage or no-supply of water, especially during the summers.

As per the Rules of Admissibility of questions in the Rajya Sabha, questions put by MPs should be pointed, specific and confined to one issue only. “It shall not bring in any name or statement not strictly necessary to make the question intelligible; if it contains a statement the member shall make himself responsible for the accuracy of the statement; it shall not contain arguments, inferences, ironical expressions, imputations, epithets or defamatory statements,” the rules state.