Current affairs

'Murder of democracy': Opposition attacks the center after canceling 'Question Hour' in Parliament!

By alagu, 02 September, 2020
India, Parliament, COVID-19, Coronavirus

The red and green chambers of the Indian Parliament have always been the floors of furor, ruckus, debates, and controversies as it's typical that the chambers would be filled with heated politics. Often nicknamed as the temple of democracy, the Parliament is the place that carries the nation's destiny, proposes, and debates the laws and legislations for the country. The latest announcement from the houses had drawn massive flak as the opposition parties claimed the announcement as the murder of democracy. 

The opposition parties have on Wednesday slammed the BJP ruling Central government after the notification released by the secretariats of both houses said that there would be no question hour during the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament. According to the reports, the monsoon session would be commencing on September 14 and would run until October 1. 

As per the notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, there will be no Question hour during the monsoon session. In view of the request of the government owing to the prevailing extraordinary situation due to COVID-19, the Lok Sabha Speaker has directed that no day be fixed for the transaction of private members' business during the session. 

Through the notification, the Speaker said the private members' bills will not be taken up in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. The Secretariat of Rajya Sabha had issued a similar notification of canceling the Question Hour in the upcoming monsoon session. The announcement has surfaced controversy and the opposition had condemned the center on its notification of repealing what has been described as one of the significant rights in the Parliament which had guaranteed for the members in raising questions to the Center on its bills, policies, and governance. 

 

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor took to Twitter and said, "I said four months ago that strongmen leaders would use the excuse of the pandemic to stifle democracy&dissent. The notification for the delayed Parliament session blandly announces there will be no Question Hour. How can this be justified in the name of keeping us safe?"

Tharoor further stated, "Questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. This Govt seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice-board & uses its crushing majority as a rubber-stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The one mechanism to promote accountability has now been done away with."

A senior leader of the Trinamool Congress party and MP Derek Brien had slashed the Center by citing that canceling the question hour under the excuse of the pandemic is a murder of democracy. He wrote, "MPs required to submit Qs for Question Hour in #Parliament 15 days in advance. Session starts 14 Sept. So Q Hour cancelled? Oppn MPs lose right to Q govt. A first since 1950? Parliament overall working hours remain same so why cancel Q Hour? Pandemic excuse to murder democracy"

 

According to the reports, the monsoon session will be running without a break and both the houses will function on Saturdays and Sundays. The sessions will be held in two shifts - 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm. As the session is going to be held amid the COVID-19 outbreak, several arrangements have been made to ensure that the chambers won't witness the virus spread. Both the houses have installed a new seating arrangement for the members to ensure that the social distancing norms are adhered to during the session. 

 

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