The 15-day Winter Session, now the 4th shortest since 2014, opened with immediate disruptions reflecting a long-term, cross-party pattern of institutionalised parliamentary obstruction.
- Weak institutional enforcement and reluctance of presiding officers to act without consensus erodes discipline and effective functioning.
Analysis of Parliamentary Obstruction ( 17th Lok Sabha)
- Reduced Sitting Days: Parliament met for only 274 sittings, fewer than all previous full-term Lok Sabha.
- Minimal Committee Scrutiny: Only 16% of Bills were referred to Parliamentary Committees ( lowest in last 3 Lok Sabhas’).
- Quality of Debate: 31% of Lok Sabha time and 32% of Rajya Sabha time was devoted to non-legislative discussions.
- Declining Budget Examination: Nearly 80% of the Union Budget was cleared without debate between 2019 and 2023.
Way Forward
- All-Party Code of Conduct: Adopt a mutually agreed framework specifying acceptable protests and proportionate disciplinary measures.
- Statutory Fixed Parliamentary Calendar: Establish a legally mandated annual schedule to ensure adequate sitting days.
- Enhance Accountability Mechanisms: Safeguard Question Hour and Zero Hour from disruption and require mandatory discussion of Demands for Grants during the Budget.
- Strengthen Parliamentary Procedures: Use technology for transparent tracking of attendance, debates, and Bills.
