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Winter session of Parliament marked by breach, suspensions ends
The security lapse, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to as a serious issue, overshadowed the legislative process.
An acrimonious winter session of Parliament that saw a serious lapse in the security of the heavily fortified building with two intruders jumping into the Lok Sabha with smoke canisters; a record number (146) of lawmakers being suspended from both Houses; and 10 important bills passed by Parliament, mostly in the absence of the Opposition, ended on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule.
The security lapse, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to as a serious issue, overshadowed the legislative process.
During the customary exchange of greetings with floor leaders at the end of the session -- with most Opposition leaders missing -- Modi , HT learns, said all possible steps should be taken to ensure a foolproof security system. According to a person aware of the details, the PM also told lawmakers that the issue was “selectively” raised by the Opposition, referring to an incident that took place in the Karnataka assembly in July, when a man sat through part of the proceedings for about an hour. Among those present for the meeting were Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Pralhad Joshi, Bhartruhari Mahatab of the BJD and Rahul Shewale of Shiva Sena (Shinde faction).
“The PM said the issue was not publicised by the media and the offender was let off with a warning,” said the person, speaking on condition of anonymity. The reference is to an incident that happened during the budget session of the assembly, when a 70-year-old man, claiming to be a MLA entered the house and spent some time listening to the chief minister’s speech before other MLAs raised an alarm.
Both the Houses were adjourned sine die on Thursday after the passage of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha the Telecommunications Bill, 2023 and the The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita that will replace the Indian Penal Code, the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita that replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Bharatiya Saksha (Second) Bill that replaces the Evidence Act, 1872 were passed with no participation from the Opposition. With the bills already having been passed by the other house, they will now become laws after the President’s approval.
Giving details of the legislative business that took place in the 14-day session that began on December 4, Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla said the productivity was 74% with 12 Bills introduced, and 18 Bills passed.
“Supplementary Demands for Grants - First Batch for 2023-2024 and Demands for Excess Grants for 2020-2021 were discussed and passed during the Session,” Birla said, adding that 55 starred questions were answered orally and 265 matters were taken up under Rule 377 and 182 Matters of Urgent Public Importance were raised. Department-related Standing Committees of the Lok Sabha presented 35 reports, he said.
In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said: “Seventeen Bills including important path breaking bills related to Jammu & Kashmir, Appointment of Election Commissioners, the Post Office Bill, the Telecommunications Bill and the three Bills namely Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were passed during this session.”
Referring to the three criminal code bills passed on Thursday, he said, “these unshackled colonial legacy of criminal jurisprudence that was hurtful to the citizens of this country and favouring alien rulers.”
The chairman said the House was able to transact business for 65 hours during the 14 sittings. “ I am pained to state that nearly 22 hours were lost due to avoidable disruptions adversely impacting our overall productivity that finally stood at 79%.”
The Opposition, however, criticised the government for passing key bills without their participation in the legislative process.
“Our example of the largest democracy in the world is in crisis. The whole country is seeing that the BJP is strangling democracy by arbitrarily passing important bills without discussion and debate. There is a conspiracy going on to convert Parliament into a platform for the ruling party. The way 143 MPs of our INDIA alliance have been suspended in both the Houses so far in the current Parliament session is unfortunate. The Modi government is working against the dignity of Parliament by passing all the important bills in the absence of the opposition,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said at the Congress Working Committee meeting during the day.
Following the security breach on December 13, the opposition parties rallied together to press for a statement from union home minister Amit Shah on the lapse that sent shock waves across the country and invoked memories of the horrific terror attack that took place in Parliament on the exact same date in 2001.
The government, for its part, maintained that a statement on the lapse and the subsequent inquiry were made by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla since security was his mandate as the custodian of the House and refused to give in to the opposition’s demand. The resulting stand-off led to protests within and outside both Houses, with some members trooping into the well, displaying placards and raising slogans. Accusing them of “politicising” the security lapse, the government pinned the blame on the opposition for precipitating a standoff between the two sides.
The suspension of opposition MPs exacerbated the breakdown in communication between the government and the opposition. Matters came to a head when a suspended MP of the TMC, Kalyan Banerjee was caught on camera mimicking Dhankhar, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the act. “I’m a member of the Lok Sabha and I have never watched any Rajya Sabha proceedings including RS TV proceedings…I have not taken anyone’s name,” Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday.
The BJP accused the MP of insulting the office of the Chairperson. Dhankhar himself referred to the slight as an act of disrespect against his office, and the farming and the Jat communities to which he belongs, although Banerjee did not refer to either.
Pointing out that he will not tolerate any disrespect to his position, Dhankhar on Wednesday said, “..I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar, but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House...The post was disrespected. The farmers’ community was insulted.”
PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu also expressed their dismay over the incident.
With 14 of the 146 suspended MPsfacing privilege notices -- this means their suspension could last beyond this session -- the fallout of one of the most acrimonious sittings of Parliament may yet play out.
