Suspending Question Time, or the first 60 minutes of a session of Parliament in which lawmakers seek direct answers from ministers, has become a problem for opposition parties.
But analysis of Parliament’s data showed that this will be the first time there will be a temporary suspension of Question Time. In the past, Question Time had been suspended during wars and emergencies.
However, this time the Opposition parties argue that there are no such demands and have alleged that the government is running away from answering their questions.
Winter Session 1962
During the India-China war of 1962, the winter session of Parliament skipped Question Time. “The session was supposed to begin on November 11, 1962, but due to Chinese aggression, it was advanced,” said a parliamentary report. The war had started on October 20 and lasted until November 21.
Since October 26, Parliament has also made a special provision: it started every day from 12 noon instead of 11 in the morning. While the original schedule was 34 days, the session ultimately conducted legislative business for 26 days.
1971 winter session
In December 1971, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced Pakistan’s unconditional surrender, she saw the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh. The winter session of Parliament was in progress – Gandhi had made that announcement in the Lok Sabha – while the country was still at war.
According to the PRS legislative inquiry, MP Hari Vishnu Kamath had suggested that “the nation’s parliament should continue in session and have the privilege of advising and guiding the government in this emergency.”
During the 1971 war, the daily schedule was also changed. “From December 6 to 23 (due to Pakistani aggression), the hours of the Lok Sabha sessions were changed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the questions of Question Time and Attention Calls were suspended,” according to official data.
The Emergency (June 25, 1975 – March 21, 1977)
During the Emergency, imposed by the Indira Gandhi regime, Parliament continued to function but without question time in at least two sessions.
Between June 1975 and March 1997, when the Emergency came into force, five sessions of parliament would be held. The 1975 monsoon session, the first after the emergency declaration, did not have an hour for questions or a time for opposition MPs to ask questions of different ministers.
The 1976 winter session also did not have question time.
Several constitutional amendments were hastily passed during this period. One of the most important was the 42nd Amendment which added the words “socialist” and “secular” to the preamble of the Indian constitution.
2020 monsoon session
Questions without stars, or written questions that ministers must answer, would be allowed during the monsoon parliament session, but question hour would remain canceled, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The decision came at a time when opposition parties protested the decision not to schedule Question Time. They called the decision an attempt by the government to avoid being questioned and also described it as an attempt to curb their rights.
Questions without an asterisk would have to be sent to the secretariat and answers would be provided on the day the question is posted (it will also be uploaded to the website), the people quoted above said.
However, oral or asterisk questions will not be allowed, for the sake of time, and to ensure that the number of people in Parliament remains low (when a question from a ministry is listed to be asked with an asterisk, key Ministry officials are present in Parliament).
The session also cannot allow private member bills, through which Members of Parliament (MPs) seek political or legislative changes, and the Zero Hour through which MPs raise topical issues can also be limited to just half an hour.
These changes have been necessary after an unprecedented outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country.
The monsoon session is scheduled to begin on September 14 and end on October 1 with no weekends.
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