New Delhi: The Modi government adjourned Lok Sabha sine die Monday, 12 days before Parliament’s Budget Session was to end, as large parts of the country went into lockdown mode after coronavirus cases nearly doubled over the weekend.
But, crucially, the adjournment came after the passage of the Finance Bill, which has to be cleared before 31 March, to put into effect the government’s budget and tax proposals. Because it is a money bill, once the Lok Sabha has passed it, it requires just a mention in the Rajya Sabha.
Rajya Sabha is expected to adjourn sine die later today after finishing its agenda.
In an unusual move, the finance bill was passed in an hour without any discussion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House when it was adjourned.
Adjourning the House, Speaker Om Birla said the decision was taken so that everybody can practice social distancing.
As of Monday afternoon, India had 415 cases of coronavirus, with seven deaths. The central government and several states announced a slew of complete and partial lockdowns Sunday to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The Centre announced the lockdown of 80 districts that have reported COVID-19 cases, including the entire national capital.
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Pressure from opposition
The government’s move to adjourn the Parliament session came amid a growing demand from opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, that it be curtailed to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
Parliamentarians concerns grew after news came out that Rajasthan Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Singh had come to Parliament after attending a party where Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who has tested positive for COVID-19, was present.
Singh, who went into self-quarantine, later tested negative for coronavirus.
On Saturday, the Trinamool Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena had decided that party MPs will not attend Parliament in light of the rise in cases of people infected with coronavirus. Opposition members from the Congress in Rajya Sabha had also demanded a curtailment of the session to practice social distancing. Opposition MPs had highlighted that with members sitting in close proximity in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, it is impossible to socially distance themselves from each other.
But the government did not seem to be in a mood to relent.
On 17 March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told MPs at the BJP parliamentary party meeting that the ongoing budget session won’t be cut short because of coronavirus. He, instead, asked party MPs to visit their constituencies after the conclusion of the budget session and spread awareness about coronavirus and how to protect oneself from it.
Modi had told party MPs that they should be seen doing their work, which included efforts to deal with COVID-19.
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The Finance Bill – the whole rationale for having a Budget session – passed without discussion. The show kept going to facilitate orderly regime change in Bhopal. Even the forceful national campaign against Coronavirus kept pending till the process was completed.