Govt cancels question hour during monsoon session, opposition cries foul

September 2: In two separate notifications issued by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats on Wednesday, it was stated that there will be no Question Hour  in the upcoming Session, which will be held from September 14 to October 1, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The notifications further stated that the Zero Hour would be restricted in both Houses. The Question Hour is the first hour in the House during which the members are allowed to ask questions to the government. Whereas during Zero Hour, members can, with prior notice to the Chair, raise important issues.

Opposition leaders, including Derek O’Brien and Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday, criticised the decision to cancel the Question Hour in the monsoon session of Parliament and said the pandemic was being used as an excuse to stifle dissent. O’Brien, the TMC leader of Rajya Sabha, added that this was happening for the first time since 1950. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. DMK leader Kanimozhi said the BJP government’s decision to suspend the Question Hour for an entire Session conveys just one message – “Even elected representatives have no right to question the government.”

Opposition leaders say they were told by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that if there was a Question Hour, ministers would need to be briefed by officials of their ministries and this would raise the number of visitors to parliament in Covid times.

Further, in the upcoming monsoon session, the Parliament will function on Saturdays and Sundays as well, meaning the MPs will get no weekend break. On the first day, the Lok Sabha will start at 9am and continue till 1pm. After a gap of two hours, the Rajya Sabha will start at 3pm and continue till pm. However, for the next 17 days or the remaining part of the session, the Rajya Sabha will meet in the morning and the Lok Sabha in the afternoon schedule.

As per sources, the government needs to clear 11 ordinances—including the key ones on agriculture and banking; whereas, the Opposition wants to raise the India-China border tension, economic situation and alleged mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic by the government.