The intransigence of the NDA government is largely to be blamed for the near-total washout of the budget session of Parliament. As a result, neither the pressing public issues nor any important bills could be discussed. It would be frustrating for the general public to learn that, while the Lok Sabha had a productivity of just 5.29 percent in the second part of the budget session, losing more than 96 hours to disruptions, the Rajya Sabha lost 103.5 hours and had 6.4 percent productivity rate. Over 103 hours were lost to disruptions. The Centre was consistently adamant and unyielding in the face of the combined opposition demand for setting up a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the row surrounding the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group’s stock manipulations.
Instead, the treasury benches disrupted the proceedings of both Houses, demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his ‘democracy under attack’ comment made in London. The acrimony between the government and the opposition deepened further after Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha a day after his conviction in a criminal defamation case by a Surat court last month. The business of the House was hit hard as the two sides traded accusations and adamantly refused to rise above their differences. A tumultuous standoff resulted in a total legislative gridlock. For 15 days in a row, members from the opposition and treasury benches refused to yield any ground from their maximalist positions. In such a situation, the onus is always on the ruling party to ensure that the legislative business is conducted in an orderly fashion through an accommodative approach.