After Union Budget, LS passes two bills without debate

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed two crucial bills without debate even as Opposition members continued noisy protests accusing the Modi government of riding roughshod in Parliament.

As members raised slogans protesting the passage of the Union Budget without discussion and other issues, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took up the Payments of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill for consideration and passage.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia urged the Speaker to allow a discussion on the bills even as the Congress and other Opposition members raised slogans in the Well of the House.

With members unrelenting in their protests, the Speaker proceeded to pass the Bill without discussions.

Amid the noisy scenes, RSP member N K Premachandran moved an amendment and sought a division, but the Speaker announced that his motion was negatived in a voice vote and put the bill to votes.

The Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, that proposes to grant a party the right to seek damages from the other side in case of a breach of business contract and to reduce the discretion of courts in such matters, too, was passed in a similar manner.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar made attempts to calm the members assuring them the government was open to discussing all issues if the Opposition withdrew their protests and cleared the Well of the House.

As the second bill, too, was passed without debate, some Opposition members tore some papers and threw them around and the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Later, Congress leaders walked out of the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee chaired by the Speaker to finalise the agenda for the Lok Sabha.

"The government was hell-bent on passing bills without any discussion and is not interested in amicably settling the issues in the House in a democratic manner," Congress leader K C Venugopal said.

The second part of the budget session, which commenced on March 5, has witnessed disruptions daily.

The Opposition has been demanding a discussion on the PNB scam under an adjournment motion that has an element of censure to the government.

The NDA floor managers have offered a short duration discussion but rejected the demand for an adjournment motion.