Are We Delivering Pizzas Or Passing Legislation: Dereck O’Brian

Mumbai: The Trinamool MP, Dereck O’Brian, in his tweet mocked on the current situation in the parliament. He said the was the bills were passed was equivalent to delivering pizzas.

“Parliament is supposed to scrutinize bills… Are we delivering Pizzas or passing Legislation,” he also attached a chart that depicted to what extent the bills were scrutinized in the parliament in early years. The per cent of scrutiny was higher and that bills were passed after a lot of discussions.

In the 2004-2009 period, according to the chart, 60% of the bills were scrutinized, during 2009-2014 71% of the bills were scrutinized, during 2014-2019 the number fell down to 26% and in this years, with respect to a number of bills passed only 5% are scrutinized.

It was also said that in the recent Lok Sabha 14 bills have already been passed and none of them was listed for standing or select committee. Also, it is rumoured that 11 more bills have been listed.

According to O’Brian this act of parliament is to smother the opposition. Many of the opposition had also written a letter to the chairman with the concern passing bills without scrutiny. To which the vice president M Venkaiah Naidu replied by saying “During the last five sessions that I have presided, 10 bills have been first introduced by the government to the Rajya Sabha. As the chairman, I have referred to eight of those 10 bills to respective department-related standing committees, though it is not mandatory to do so”

He also added that the two other bills were not referred as they did not warrant detailed scrutiny by the standing committee. “I hope that all of you would agree that such a record would not justify the allegations if it is so intended that Rajya Sabha is a party to hurried Legislation.”

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.