New Delhi: A total of 50 hours and 21 minutes during the 17 sittings of Rajya Sabha were lost due to frequent disruptions which adversely impinged on the overall productivity of the 260 edition of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament that concluded on Friday.
The session, which began on July 20 and lasted till August 11, saw frequent pandemonium which often brought disagreement among members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and raised the heckles of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had a tough time managing MPs, who were at loggerheads with their rival party counterparts on several issues.
The violence in Manipur became the focal point of Opposition party MPs' onslaught on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government which faced a barrage of attacks over the issue. The bitterness took centre stage as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who once refused to return to the Hosue, had to be convinced back for the proceedings. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien's heated exchange with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on the floor was one of the most oft-discussed topics in the media this year.
On the positive front, several significant Bills were passed during the session that witnessed some lively and animated debate. Soon after the session came to an end, Dhankhar, who had a difficult time managing the House order, in a press note said, "Once again, we yielded to the allure of narrow interests and allowed disorder to be the 'new normal' in the proceedings of the House. It appears that my appeals have not resonated well with our Members. The frequent unwholesome spectacle of disruptions only indicates that my message has not found the attentive audience it deserves."
He, however, expressed his satisfaction over the 'fair representation' of women members soon after the session came to an end. "I think, they have vindicated their role and made us proud. In a similar vein, the Secretariat, in a laudable move, undertook a progressive initiative to empower its women employees by affording them the opportunity to attend to the significant Table Duties within the hallowed Chamber," the Rajya Sabha Chairman signed off.
