New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today said the anti-defection law should be decided within a stipulated time frame and would request the government to amend the law.
Mr Birla said this at a press conference held here on the preparations for the monsoon session of Parliament. To a question regarding notices given to Trinamool Congress MPs under the Anti-Defection Act, Mr. Birla said that it is a decision related to the proceedings of the House which cannot be answered in a press conference. However, he accepted that the cases under the Anti-Defection Act should be decided within a stipulated time frame and he would request the government to amend the Anti-Defection Act in this regard.
Regarding the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Mr. Birla said that the session will run from July 19 to August 13. There will be a total of 19 sittings and the proceedings of the House will run from 11 am to 6 pm. Referring to the productivity of the 17th Lok Sabha, he said that since 1952, as much work has not been done in the first five sessions of all the Lok Sabha as has been done in the first five sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha.
He said that the overall productivity of the five sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha has been 122 percent. 114 The meetings went on for a long time. The members fulfilled their constitutional obligations by meeting till late night and got 105 bills passed. During this 102 Bills were introduced. 1764 Members actively participated in the discussion on the Bills. More and more questions were answered during the Question Hour and in 90 percent of the cases under Rule 377, the ministers’ answers came within the stipulated time frame, whereas earlier this could be done only in 60-65 percent of the cases.
