Budget Session: 34% Productivity In LS, 24.4% In RS As Second Leg Concludes On Stormy Note

The second half of Budget session, which started from April 13, was marred by disruptions and protests by the Opposition and treasury benches.

Opposition MPs, wearing black over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha, protest in the well of the House ( Image Source :PTI )

With both houses of Parliament adjourned sine die amid a tumultuous Budget session, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Lok Sabha noted a productivity of 34 per cent while Rajya Sabha recorded 24.4 per cent productivity during the Budget Session.  

The second half of the Budget session, which started on April 13, was marred by disruptions and protests by the Opposition and treasury benches. The Opposition has demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ties with Gautam Adani.

The Opposition has tried to corner the Centre on the Adani issue ever since US short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the company of stock manipulation and accounting fraud. The Adani Group has denied any wrongdoing.

READ: 'Something Is Fishy': Kharge On Govt Not Agreeing To JPC Probe Into Adani Issue

The treasury benches, on their part, have demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Parliament for his remarks made in London, where he had said that "democracy was under attack". 
However, Gandhi was disqualified as MP during the session after he was convicted by a court in Gujarat in a criminal defamation case involving Modi's surname.

Earlier in the day, Lok Sabha's Budget session ended before the scheduled time as opposition MPs kept up their protest for a JPC probe into the Adani issue.

Budget Session 2023 In Numbers: Zero Productivity In Rajya Sabha On Legislative Business, Only 1.1% In Lower House — Details

Congress and DMK MPs, mostly dressed in black, came to the Well of the House raising slogans and carrying placards seeking a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani Group. "You have lowered the dignity of the House. This behaviour is not good for the parliamentary system and the country," Speaker Om Birla told the Opposition MPs.

In a speech before adjourning the Lok Sabha, Birla said there were over 13 hours of debate on the motion to thank the President for her address and 143 MPs participated in it. Birla said the budget was presented on February 1 and the debate on the Union Budget 2023 took place for over 14 hours with 145 MPs participating.