NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien on Wednesday shot a strongly worded letter to house leader JP Nadda flagging “inordinate delay in the reconstitution of parliamentary standing committees of the House of elders.”
Noting that enough precious time had been lost, Derek said the parties were given to understand that the panels would be reconstituted before the commencement of Monsoon session and now even August was about to pass.
“I write to you to express concerns regarding the delay in the re-constitution of Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DPSCs). As per the request of the secretariat dated 9 July 2024, different parties had to submit their nominations before 17 July 2024, prior to the starting of the monsoon session.
“On 12th July 2024, the AITC sent in our nominations. When we met in the Rajya Sabha I had verbally brought this up. You had verbally assured me that the committees would be formed within the duration of the Monsoon Session. Unfortunately, even as August slips by, the parliamentary committees have still not been constituted,” Derek said to Nadda.
He said the delay has profound implications for the democratic process and the quality of legislation enacted especially as in recent years, there has been a marked reduction in the number of Bills referred to parliamentary standing committees or select committees for thorough scrutiny.
“Only 13% of the Bills passed in Rajya Sabha between 2014-24 were referred to parliamentary committees. Just 16% of the Bills were referred to standing committees for further scrutiny in the 17th Lok Sabha. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023, Farm Bills, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 are but a few examples of important legislation passed without proper scrutiny,” he said.
The TMC leader further pointed out that Parliament had seen a reduction in the number of working days and the duration of parliamentary sessions is a very limited time to consult stakeholders and get into the intricacies of the matters discussed in the House.
“Since DPSCs give more time for Members to discuss important matters, the Members are eager to start with the same. I urge you to consider the importance of this issue and to ensure that the parliamentary process is adhered to. Bills of significant consequence must be referred to the relevant committees for examination, giving the much needed reassurance that due diligence is being conducted. I look forward to you constituting the DPSCs immediately. Enough precious time has been lost,” states the letter.
Lok Sabha speaker has commenced the process of constituting parliamentary standing committees related to the House of the people.