In the Rajya Sabha where the Narendra Modi government does not enjoy a majority, legislative business has moved more slowly; of the three Bills, two were referred to select committees, and must be passed by March 20, the last day of this session, to prevent their lapsing.
The contentious Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is yet to be introduced in the Upper House.
The size of the BJP’s majority in the Lower House could have contributed in part to the productivity numbers.
The last majority of this size was that of the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government from December 1984 to 1989, which saw record productivity; for every sitting of Parliament for the five years of the Gandhi government, productivity in the Lok Sabha was over 100 per cent.
Though the BJP claimed credit for the productivity in the current session, several Opposition MPs said their voices were being stifled.
