Cong intensifies attack on BJP over Parl scuffle

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday slammed the Opposition for "disrupting" the winter session of Parliament leading to a decline in productivity in both Houses, and urged them to avoid similar interruptions in the upcoming budget session.

- HT Correspondents

NEW DELHI:

Addressing a press conference on a day when both Houses of Parliament adjourned sine die, Rijiju said the just-concluded winter session witnessed just 54.5% productivity in the Lok Sabha and only 40% in the Rajya Sabha.

"The productivity of Parliament went down due to disturbances created by the Opposition. We tried a lot to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament. I expect and request the Opposition not to create similar disruptions in the Budget session," the minister said.

Pointing to the low productivity, Rijiju added: "We are not satisfied with this because people elected us and made us members of Parliament. We should have worked as much as we could for the country and left no stone unturned in service to the nation. But we have seen such activities in Parliament which have affected the work and also damaged the dignity of Parliament. Members of the opposition parties have hindered our work progress due to which the productivity rate has reduced considerably."