Speaker planning changed timings to ‘rescue’ question hour

By IANS,

New Delhi : As disruptions of parliament continued unabated over different issues, a worried Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is mulling a change in the timing of the crucial question hour that is becoming “an everyday casualty”.


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“I am very much worried about the continuous disruptions during question hours,” Meira Kumar told IANS Friday – the day when Lok Sabha saw three disruptions over an ugly Indian Premier League (IPL) row involving Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

The speaker said she was keen to “rescue” the question hour – an important forum during which members raise questions concerning issues related to common people. The government is duty bound to answer the questions raised during this hour.

“I have some ideas to rescue the question hour proceedings. It is becoming an everyday casualty,” she said.

Meira Kumar said she was mulling an idea to reschedule the timing of the question hour. “Yes, and I will discuss it with leaders of the political parties.”

Earlier in the day, when the opposition stalled the question hour, an angry Meira Kumar shouted: “What is the point of the question hour?”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal also said the question hour was an important procedure and requested the opposition not to disrupt it continuously.

Parliament, which resumed its budget session Thursday, has been facing repeated adjournments. On the opening day, it was the April 6 Dantewada massacre of 76 security men and on Friday, it was the Tharoor controversy over the IPL franchise that was sold to Rendezvous Sports for Rs.1,530 crore. Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor’s close associate, has got equity worth Rs.70 crore.

It appears the opposition has lined up its ammunition to pick and target the government that is worried about the passage of a crucial finance bill.

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