Thursday and Friday report the highest productivity of the week. File
New Delhi:
More than 52% of the Rajya Sabha’s expected sitting time last week was lost by disruption and protests, but the high productivity on Thursday and Friday offered hope of a return to normal operations.
Opposition MPs protested on a number of issues, among them the suspension of 12 members of the Senate for rioting on the final day of the monsoon session.
While Opposition members deemed the suspension move “undemocratic” and “selective”, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refused to cancel the action, insisting that suspended members do not ” express regret”. However, he also added that the House of Representatives needs to consider its decision and all relevant people will make a decision.
In no mood to back down, the suspended MPs protested near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the parliament grounds. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government was ready to consider rescinding the suspension if opposition MPs apologized.
House productivity last week was 47.70% ahead of schedule, a statement said. It said the House of Commons sat for 33 minutes from the scheduled time on Thursday, bringing the overall yield for the week to 49.70%.
Thursday and Friday reported the highest productivity for the week, at 95% and 100% respectively.
The release mentions that House takes on the business of private members for the full scheduled time of two and a half hours on Friday. The last time this happened was on February 7, 2020 during the Budget session, it said.
During the first week of session, two Bills – the Farm Law Repeal Bill and the Dam Safety Bill – were passed by Rajya Sabha.
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