Jairam Ramesh calls for special Parliament session in May-June

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written to Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, urging the latter to convene a special two-week session in May-June to make up for time lost during the Budget Session, which was marred by disruptions. Ramesh, however, said that he was making this request in his 'personal capacity'.

In the budget session which concluded on Friday, the Lok Sabha spent just 1% of its allotted time on legislative business while the Rajya Sabha spent 6%. In all, 250 hours were wasted while issues like the PNB scam and alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act couldn't come up for discussion. "I wish to make a suggestion purely in my personal capacity. Why don't you try and persuade the government to convene a special two-week session sometime in late May or early June to both pass important legislation and also have debate and discussion on burning political, economic and social issues," he wrote. Both Houses have seen repeated adjournments since the second leg of the Budget Session reconvened on 5 March over several issues.

While AIADMK MPs have been protesting over the Centre's failure to form the Cauvery Management Board, whereas Congress has been opposing it. TDP and YSR Congress Party from Andhra Pradesh have been protesting demanding special status for the state while MPs of Congress, BSP and SP have been protesting over the recent Supreme Court order which diluted the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The TDP and other Opposition parties have also been protesting in the House seeking a no-confidence motion to be taken against the NDA government at the Centre in the Lok Sabha. According to PRS legislative research, this was the least productive budget session since 2000. The Upper House spent only three minutes on government bills while it was 14 minutes for the Lower House.