Speaker irked by disruptions as Monsoon session concludes

THE Monsoon session of Parliament, the fifth one of the 18th Lok Sabha which saw unprecedented protests over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar, came to a close on Thursday with the presiding officers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha expressing anguish over the continuous and planned disruptions leading to the total washout.

- PREETHA NAIR @New Delhi

As both Houses were adjourned sine die on Thursday in what was one of the frostiest Monsoon sessions, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his concluding address said that the public has great expectations from the representatives, and therefore, they should utilise their time in the House for serious and meaningful discussions on issues of public interest and important legislations.

While the productivity of the Lok Sabha was pegged at 31%, the Rajya Sabha saw 39%. Out of total 120 hours, the Lok Sabha held discussions only for 37 hours. In the Rajya Sabha, discussions took place for 41 hours 15 minutes only.

The session was marked by continuous disruptions on SIR, the abrupt resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar from Vice President post, an ugly scuffle between the NDA and INDIA members and the impeachment proceedings of High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma among others.