With the opposition slamming the ruling BJP-led alliance over getting the bills passed “without discussion” in the monsoon session of parliament, the government has said that such approval of bills had not happened for the first time and 18 bills were passed “in hasty manner” between 2006 and 2014 during the rule of Congress-led UPA government.
The government said the Lok Sabha passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, in only three minutes in March 2006 and the House passed the Government Securities in August 2006 in 14 minutes.
It said in 2007, eleven bills were passed in the Parliament during the UPA rule in “hasty manner” with some bills passed in less than two minutes.
The government said that National Institution of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2007 was passed in four minutes on March 16; Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (in four minutes on March 16); National Tax Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (in five minutes on March 19); National Rural Employment Guarantee (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2007 (in three minutes on March 19); Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (in two minutes on March 19); the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2006 (in four minutes on May 14) and Securities Contracts (Regulation) Bill, 2006 (in three minutes on May 14).
Other Bills passed in 2007 in “hasty manner” include National Institution of Technology Bill, 2007 (in two minutes on May 14), the Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2006 (in four minutes on May 16); the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (four minutes on September 6); the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2007 (one minute on September 7).
In 2010, Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill 2010 was also passed “in a hasty manner”. It was passed in one minute on May 3, 2010.
Other bills rushed through include the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2010 (in 3 minutes on May 3) and Employees State Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2010 (in 12 minutes on May 3).
The National Capital Territory of Delhi laws (Special Provision) Bill, 2011 was passed in two minutes on March 18, 2011.\Other bills which were passed by the UPA government “amidst the din” included Andhra Prentiosh (Reorganisation) Bill 2014; Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation Of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution (Amendment) Bill 2007; All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2007; Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in the Posts and Services) Bill, 2008; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) 2013; Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2006;
Former Law Minister Kapil Sibal had in 2103 apologized in Rajya Sabha for getting a Constitution Amendment Bill passed “in haste”.
The Bill was introduced, it was titled 120th Constitution Amendment Bill, but when passed, it should have read as 99th Constitution Amendment Bill.
Several opposition parties have accused the government of passing legislations without discussion in the monsoon session. The two Houses passed 20 bills in the session which was curtailed by two days amid continuous protests by opposition on various issues.
Both the Houses discussed and passed the constitution amendment bill to enable states to have their lists of socially and educationally backward classes.
The two Houses were adjourned sine die on Wednesday. The monsoon session, which began on July 19 was slated to conclude on August 13. (ANI)
