Parliament adjourned sine die after the least productive budget session since 2000

The washed out second leg of Parliament's Budget Session ended today as both Houses were adjourned sine die, capping a month of relentless disruptions and stated to be the least productive since 2000 with nearly 250 working hours being wasted.

As a blame game erupted between the BJP and the Congress over the opposition protests that paralysed both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the rival parties announced protest fasts by their MPs and workers next week. An anguished Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the budget session was "eminently forgettable".

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) recommended prorogation of the Budget Session of Parliament to President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Lok Sabha was also unable to take up multiple opposition notices for no-confidence motion against the Modi government with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan saying there is no order in the House which witnessed protests by various parties.

Mahajan said the members should keep in mind the larger interests of the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House.

The last day of the session was also marred by protests by AIADMK and Congress members over setting up of the Cauvery river management board as well as by TDP members demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.

Mahajan also said she wanted to take up the notices for no-confidence motion. "I am sorry... if you don't want to take up (notices for no-confidence motion)," she said and proceeded to read out a brief summary of the Budget session and its second leg before adjourning sine die.

In the Rajya Sabha, Naidu even wondered if the fears of those who doubted the need for a Second Chamber during the debates in the Constituent Assembly were coming true. "Let us not be a party to this House becoming a 'clog(impediment) in the wheel of progress''.

"I am pained to note that it(the session) turned out to be an eminently forgettable one on account of utter disregard of the mandate of this important parliamentary institution and its responsibilities and missed opportunities," he said.

The disruptions and adjournments were caused by protests over issues like special status to Andhra Pradesh, bank scams, demand for Cauvery water management board, vandalising of statues, review of the recent Supreme Court order on SC/ST Act and law and order situation in Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.

The second leg of the Budget session, that started on March 5, had 22 sittings that were mostly disrupted.

Speaker Mahajan said a total of 127 hours and 45 minutes were affected by "interruptions and forced adjournments" while Naidu said the Rajya Sabha lost over 121 hours.

Just five bills, including the crucial Finance Bill 2018 for which the Budget Session is convened, were passed and five were introduced during the Budget session in the Lok Sabha.

Besides, The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and The Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, 2017 were among those passed.

There was lot of drama outside the Parliament too on the concluding day of the Budget session with several ministers and ruling alliance MPs protesting near the iconic statue of the meditating Mahatma inside the complex, often a site of protest by opposition lawmakers.

According to PRS Legislative Research, "this was the least productive Budget session for both Houses since 2000".

During the session on an average, Lok Sabha worked for 21 per cent of its scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha worked for 27 per cent, it said.

According to data provided by Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar, the productivity of the Lok Sabha(LS)  was 134 per cent, and that of the Rajya Sabha(RS) around 96 per cent during the brief first part of the session. The first part had seven LS and eight RS sittings.

But the second part of the session saw productivity taking a nose dive due to daily disruptions and adjournments. The productivity of the LS was four per cent and that of the RS eight per cent, the minister said.

"The productivity of the complete Budget session was 23 per cent for the LS and 28 per cent for the RS," he said.

Accusing the Congress of taking parliamentary proceedings "to a new low" with its conduct, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a fast by BJP MPs on April 12 to protest the impasse "caused" by the opposition party in Parliament.

In a counter-offensive, the Congress said its workers would hold a day-long fast at all state and district headquarters on April 9 to expose the BJP's "lies" on various issues.