Many political parties had also requested short-term debates or debates on vital issues during the monsoon session of Parliament.
Opposition parties have expressed concern about the decision not to allow Question Time and zero hours, which is a regular feature of all sessions of parliament.
- News18.com
- Last update: September 2, 2020 4:24 PM IST
- Edited by: Padmaja Venkataraman
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Opposition leaders, including Derek O’Brien and Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday, criticized the decision to cancel Question Time at the monsoon session of Parliament, saying the pandemic was being used as an excuse to suppress dissent. O’Brien, the TMC leader of Rajya Sabha, added that this was happening for the first time since 1950.
“Parliamentarians must submit questions for Question Time in Parliament 15 days in advance. The session begins on September 14. So, Question Time was canceled? Opposition MPs lose the right to question the government “A first time since 1950? Parliament’s general working hours are still the same, so why cancel questioning hours? It’s a pandemic excuse to assassinate democracy,” O’Brien wrote on Twitter.
Parliamentarians should submit questions for Question Time at #Parliament 15 days in advance. The session begins on September 14. Was Q hour canceled? Oppn MPs lose the right to Q govt. For the first time since 1950? Parliament’s general working hours remain the same, why cancel Q Hour? The excuse of the pandemic to assassinate democracy
– Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) September 2, 2020
Meanwhile, Congressional Leader Shashi Tharoor, in a series of tweets, also criticized the Center for its decision not to allow Question Hour and Zero Hour and said the government was trying to use its “overwhelming majority as a rubber stamp for whatever wants to happen. “
“I said four months ago that strongmen leaders would use the pandemic excuse to suppress democracy and dissent. The notice of the delayed session of Parliament announces softly that there will be no Question Time. How can this be justified This in the name of keeping us safe? “Tharoor tweeted. Tharoor added that questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy.
“This government seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice board and uses its overwhelming majority as a rubber stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The only mechanism to promote accountability has been eliminated,” his tweet read.
2/2 Questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. This government seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice board and uses its overwhelming majority as a rubber stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The only mechanism to promote accountability has been removed.
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 2, 2020
The monsoon session of parliament amid the Covid-19 pandemic will begin on September 14. Opposition parties have raised concerns about the decision not to allow question hour and zero hour, which is a common feature of all parliament sessions when one hour is dedicated each day. both in the hour of questions and in the mentions of zero hour. Some parties have expressed reservations about not having question time, while others have agreed under difficult circumstances.
O’Brien had also spoken to Rajnath Singh about his reservation previously, but his party’s parliamentary leader, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, is believed to have accepted the government’s position. Meanwhile, the leader of the Lok Sabha Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, recently wrote to the Lok Sabha president, Om Birla, demanding Question Time and zero. However, he agreed with the government when Rajnath Singh called him a few days ago.
In the letter to the speaker, Chowdhury said that shortening the question hour and zero hour would not be in the interest of elected representatives, especially in the current times of COVID-19. “There appears to be a proposal to reduce the question hour and zero hour during the session by restricting the allocation of time and the number of notices that members could present,” he had said.
The patriarch of the CPN, Sharad Pawar, also accepted the reason why the government decided to discard the Hour of Questions. While Tiruchi Siva of DMK demanded that Question Hour and Zero Hour be held, his Lok Sabha party leader TR Baalu has recognized the government’s efforts to keep everyone safe.
Several political parties had also requested short-term debates on key issues. Top government sources said one such conversation is likely to be allowed weekly, but custodians of both houses will take the last call. The government has also agreed to discussions on very crucial topics that have been raised throughout its discussion with political parties, including the India-China issue, GDP, the economy, the COVID-19 crisis, the crisis of migrants, etc. .
The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin from September 14 and will continue until October 1 with approximately 18 sessions, including weekends with each house in their seats for four hours.
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