Opposition Corners Centre Over No Question Hour During Monsoon Session Of Parliament

Question Hour will be missing during the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting from September 14 amid the coronavirus epidemic. After the news broke out, all opposition parties including Congress have opened a front against the central government.

Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor tweeted ‘ I said four months ago that strongmen leaders would use the excuse of the pandemic to stifle democracy&dissent. The notification for the delayed Parliament session blandly announces there will be no Question Hour. How can this be justified in the name of keeping us safe?’

1/2 I said four months ago that strongmen leaders would use the excuse of the pandemic to stifle democracy&dissent. The notification for the delayed Parliament session blandly announces there will be no Question Hour. How can this be justified in the name of keeping us safe?

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 2, 2020

In a thread of two tweets, he said that ‘questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. This Govt seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice-board & uses its crushing majority as a rubber-stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The one mechanism to promote accountability has now been done away with.’

2/2 Questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. This Govt seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice-board & uses its crushing majority as a rubber-stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The one mechanism to promote accountability has now been done away with.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 2, 2020

Apart from Congress, several other leaders, including TMC MP Derek O’Brien, have also criticised the centre over the withdrawal of the question hour from the monsoon session. This is the first time in the country’s parliamentary history that Question Hour has not been given a place during the session. Question hour is considered very important in parliamentary proceedings because during the allotted time the opposition parties can ask the government for the account of its functioning and the accountability of the government is fixed.

On its defense, the government says that a huge chunk of officers reach Parliament to answer during the Question Hour and doing so during the Covid-19 epidemic will increase the risk of spreading the infection. Currently, a special change has been made in the monsoon season starting on 14 September.

Question Hour has been removed, but Zero Hour has been given space. On the first day, the proceedings of Lok Sabha will start from 9 am to 1 pm, while the rest of the day will start from 3 pm to 7 pm. The same system has been implemented for the proceedings of Rajya Sabha. Saturday and Sunday will not be a holiday and till October 1, there will be a total of 18 meetings.