Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday after it returned the vote-on-account, Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill to the Lok Sabha without any discussion and passed two other bills. The government could not get the controversial Triple Talaq Bill and Citizenship Amendment Bill passed in the Upper House.

The House saw repeated adjournments even on the last day. However, it took up and passed the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill. Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan tried to move the Consumer Protection Bill for consideration and passing but some opposition MPs objected saying it was encroaching on federal independence. The Bill could not be taken up.

The Budget session had commenced on January 31 and had 10 sittings. However, more than 44 hours were lost on issues such as alleged misuse of CBI in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh; the 13 point roster in university faculty appointments; Rafale deal; alleged horse trading in Karnataka; the NRC issue in Assam; objections to Citizenship Amendment Bill; demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh and deaths in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to illicit liquor. The productivity of the Upper House in the Budget session was just 4.9 per cent, with most of the working hours lost to disruptions.

Six government bills were also introduced during the session. The Question Hour could not be taken up on any day and only 16 issues could be raised during the Zero Hour.

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