Speaker's logic for rejection of adjournment motion, makes Opposition task tougher

Speaker Meira Kumar's logic for rejection of adjournment motion makes the task of the Opposition tougher. She said that the adjournment motion was admitted on the failure of government to discharge "the duties which are enjoined upon it by the Constitution and the law", reports The Times Of India.

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Speaker Meira Kumar's decision to disallow adjournment notices given by the Opposition for discussion on price rise can be trend-setting as it clarifies that the said section cannot be an instrument to force discussions on routine issues.

Kumar, while agreeing in her ruling on Wednesday that rise in prices of essential commodities was a matter of concern, said adjournment motion was admitted on the failure of government to discharge "the duties which are enjoined upon it by the Constitution and the law". Quoting former Speaker G S Dhillon's ruling, she said the government's decision (to hike fuel prices) was its executive function and did not involve any failure of constitutional or legal duties.

The chair promised to consider notices under other sections for discussion on price rise.

The ruling may prove a dampner for the Opposition as it raises the bar on what constitutes a fit case for adjournment motion. While a similar demand by the Opposition in the last session was dismissed on the grounds that the issue raised had to be specific and of immediate occurrence, the fresh ground laid adds to the criteria for adjournment -- failure of government to discharge its constitutional and legal duties.

Observers feel this will test the Opposition when it next thinks of invoking this section. A conscious BJP drew lessons from the earlier rejection and, as Sushma Swaraj said, limited the notice to hike in LPG and kerosene prices.

Now on, to have a realistic chance of having its way on discussions, the Opposition may have to look at other possible options.

As the deadlock in Parliament persisted, Kumar on Thursday said she was trying to find a "way out" by taking all parties along. "It is the issue of price rise... it is a serious issue... and people also want something to happen. Let us see how we find a way out by taking everyone together," she told reporters.