Lok Sabha on Monday adopted a motion to do away with Question Hour and private members' business during the Monsoon session, which is being held amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Moving the motion, Joshi said the Lok Sabha session is being held in extraordinary circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic and this House resolves that starred questions and private members' business may not be brought before it for the transaction during the session.

Joshi said before arriving at this decision, deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to almost all leaders of various parties.

"I would like to ask various leaders who questioned the suspension of Question Hour that all state assemblies including Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have run sessions for a day or two and passed several bills, whereas the government of India decided to run for 18 days and hold discussion on bills," Joshi said.

Criticising the move, the opposition led by the Congress said that Question Hour is the "golden hour of the House".

Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said the argument and rationale that has been put forth by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi is far from convincing.

He said the Question Hour is recognised as an essence of parliamentary democracy and executives are accountable and answerable during the Question Hour.

In such an extraordinary situation, if the House is running, "why Question Hour is singled out," he asked.

"We get chance to raise issues of common people. Question Hour is simply a golden hour of the House," he said, adding by doing way with this, the government is trying to suppress this democratic practice which has been followed since Independence.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the Question Hour is an integral part of the basic structure of parliamentary procedure and "we cannot destroy that part".

-Sourced from PTI

First Published:Sept 14, 2020 1:59 PM IST