NEW DELHI, Sept 3:
The Government today said it will answer every question asked in Parliament and 160 “unstarred” questions will be answered every day during the upcoming Monsoon session starting September 14, sources said.
Countering the Opposition charge of curtailing the Question Hour, the sources in the government said this is not the first time that the Question Hour will not be taken up during a session as it was dispensed with in 2004 and 2009, besides also in 1991 as well as in 1962, 1975 and 1976 for various reasons.
A research conducted by the Rajya Sabha also revealed that 60 per cent of Question Hour time was not availed during the last five years with only 40 per cent utilisation.
Sources said the Question Hour was first done away with during the Emergency in 1975 and 1976, when everything was functioning normally except opposition leaders, who were put behind bars, and the media, which was censored.
Unlike then, the government has argued that it is a real health emergency in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the session is being held under extraordinary circumstances even as there is a paucity of time.
The presiding officers of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have received a letter from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, informing them that the government has consulted different political parties and that there is a broad consensus, barring one political party, on doing away with the Question Hour.
It is based on this consensus among the opposition parties that the government has requested the presiding officers to do away with the Question Hour and Private Members’ Business for this session, the sources said.
Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi had not consulted all the opposition leaders.
He said doing away with the Question Hour, not holding the government accountable to the questions of public interest raised in Parliament in the “starred” category “is an assault on India’s democracy and a sinister design to undermine the Parliament of the country and Parliamentary practices”.
He said in the “starred” question category, the minister concerned has to answer supplementary questions. The idea is to hold the government accountable to ensure that public welfare steps are taken and fix accountability of the government to Parliament and through it, to the 130 crore people of India, the Congress leader said.
Besides the “unstarred” questions, up to 10 special mentions would also be taken up to bring matters of importance to the government’s notice, the sources said.
Both houses will also discuss important issues like the pandemic, the state of the economy and other developments and there will be provisions for short-duration discussions, besides calling attention notices will also be taken up, they said.
The Opposition has criticised the government for its decision not to have the Question Hour and the Private Members’ Business, alleging that it is trying to “murder” democracy in the name of COVID-19 and the session is being convened to bring legislative proposals to replace ordinances.
“By abolishing the Question Hour, the government is running scared of answering relevant questions to the people of India through their elected representatives. The Modi government does not want to answer questions on the transgressions by China, about India’s economy and the free fall of the GDP.(PTI)
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