Winter Session Ends in Virtual Washout, One of the 'Least Productive' in 15 Years

New Delhi: The month-long Winter Session of Parliament concluded on Friday, with the demonetisation row ensuring a virtual washout and making it one of the "least productive" sessions in the last 15 years.

Due to the repeated disruptions, Lok Sabha lost 107 hours while Rajya Sabha lost about 101 hours.

The only significant legislative action was the passage of the Rights of Persons with Disability Bill by both the Houses. Significantly, this bill was cleared on the last day after a brief debate and with rare bonhomie, similar to the one witnessed in the Rajya Sabha on it two days back.

"This has been one of the least productive Question Hour sessions for Rajya Sabha in the last three Parliaments. Previously, one of the 480 questions and none of the 420 questions were answered orally in the Winter sessions of 2010 and 2013, respectively," said PRS Legislative Research. While adjourning the two Houses sine die, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari expressed pain and anguish over the repeated disruptions.

Ansari said "all sections" of the House need to introspect on the distinction between dissent, disruption and agitation.

The debate was again taken up once for an hour when Modi was present but it could not be carried forward.

In the Lok Sabha, the debate could be hardly taken up even though both the government and opposition repeatedly said they were ready for a discussion on demonetisation announced on November 8.

The deadlock occurred as the Opposition insisted on debate under a rule that entails voting, which was not acceptable to the ruling side.

As deadlock between government and opposition persisted, an attempt was made to initiate the debate under Rule 193 which does not entail voting.

TRS leader AP Jeethender Reddy tried to speak twice but members of some Opposition parties, particularly Trinamool Congress, scuttled the bid by creating pandemonium.

Veteran parliamentarian and BJP stalwart LK Advani expressed deep anguish over the way Parliament was being run and on Thursday even remarked that he felt like resigning.

(With PTI inputs)