New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) Wednesday joined the opposition Congress in slamming the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for cutting out Question Hour from the monsoon session of Parliament, starting 14 September, saying the government is doing it deliberately as it wants to avoid giving answers on pressing issues, including the high unemployment rate and the state of economy.
The first hour of business in both Houses of the Parliament is reserved for Question Hour, where MPs can ask questions on every aspect of administration and government activity.
The minister concerned has to respond to the member’s query in the House. A member can ask a question after giving a notice 15 days earlier.
Addressing a virtual press conference, TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said Question Hour is an important component of Parliament as the minister concerned is duty-bound to answer the queries raised by an MP.
“Unlike zero hour, where an MP can raise an issue but a minister is not bound to give a reply, in a Question Hour, the minister has to respond. The government wants to shy away from answering difficult questions on the economy and the pandemic. That is why they have cut out Question Hour,” O’Brien said.
The monsoon session, the first session of Parliament after the Covid outbreak hit India, will continue until 1 October.
A senior opposition leader, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint over the phone that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had called up opposition leaders, including O’Brien, Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, earlier this week and informed them that it will not be possible to have Question Hour because of the Covid situation.
‘Will take up the matter with Speaker’
O’Brien said Singh told him that Question Hour can’t be scheduled as it will require the presence of a large number of government officials inside the House to brief the ministers.
The TMC leader said there have been only four occasions in the past when there was no Question Hour.
“But these were all Parliament sessions that were summoned for special purposes. These included proclamation of Emergency in 1975 and imposing President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu and Nagaland, among others. They were not regular sessions like the monsoon session,” he said.
O’Brien said that his party will be taking up the matter with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and demand restoration of the Question Hour.
The Congress has also opposed the government’s move to do away with Question Hour.
Congress’ chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh told ThePrint: “We will oppose it strongly. An important instrument of government accountability is being neutralised.”
‘Right of the members to ask questions’
Last week, Congress’ leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had also written to the Speaker, requesting him to not cut Question Hour.
Talking to ThePrint, Chowdhury said, “It is the right of the members to ask questions and raise issues, especially now when the country is facing a pandemic. We will continue to demand that Question Hour should be restored in the monsoon session.”
O’Brien said while the Parliament session used to be held for six hours daily for five days a week before the pandemic, it will now be held only for four hours, but on all seven days a week.
“While earlier, in a week there used to be a 30-hour session, which included two-and-a-half hours of private members bill, now we will have a 28-hour session in a week. But it does not include private members bills. This means that effectively, both before and during the pandemic, the Houses will be meeting for the same amount of time. So why has the Question Hour been removed?” he asked.
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