Parliament passes Railway Appropriation Bills

Source : Indlaw.com

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today passed the Railway Appropriation Bills despite the two Houses not being allowed to transact any other business by the Opposition adamant on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum allocation. 

The Bills were passed during zero hour in the two Houses and thereafter being adjourned as slogan shouting Opposition members came to the wells demanding a JPC probe into the spectrum allocation. 

The chaos that ensued resulted in the adjournments of the two Houses. This was the second adjournment after the first adjournment during Question Hour on the same issue. 

While Parliament has been adjourned on the issue of probe for the 15th consecutive day, it has been allowed to transact financial business. 

Except this, the pattern of adjournment has been same day after day, first during Question Hour and then during noon. 

The three all party meets have failed to resolve the logjam, with the Opposition insistent on its demand for a JPC probe and the government not giving in to the demand. 

The Opposition has been insistent on its demand as has been the government, giving a clear indication that Parliament would not be allowed to function. 

As soon as the Rajya Sabha re-assembled at 1200 hrs after its first adjournment, BJP MPs were in the well of the House shouting slogans "We want JPC" and "People want JPC".

Despite uproarious scenes, Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan called for laying down of papers listed against various Ministers. 

Thereafter, Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena moved two Appropriation Bills passed by the Lok Sabha this morning. 

Both the Bills -- Appropriation (Railways) No 5 Bill 2010 and Appropriation (Railways) No 6 Bill 2010 -- were returned to the Lok Sabha after adoption of relvant amendments. 

The Bills authorise the Government to pay sums out of Consolidated Fund of India for services for the current financial year. 

The BJP has explained that it was an accepted practice to allow the passage of money bills as the Opposition did not want to create any constitutional crisis or deny the Central allocation to the States. 

The Lok Sabha too passed the Railway Appropriation Bills amid the din created by the Opposition. 

Speaker Meira Kumar was then compelled to adjourn the House for the day. 

This is the 15th consecutive day when the House could not take up the Question and the Zero Hours as an adamant Opposition disrupted proceedings. There seems no end to the standoff between the Opposition and the Government in sight. 

Earlier, the House had been adjourned at 1100 hrs shortly after it had assembled for the day, with the Opposition creating noisy scenes over their demand and storming the well. 

Amid the din, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was asked to move the Railway Appropriation Bills, and the House passed these Bills without debate.