The Hindu : Parliament adjourned sine die

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Friday, Feb 06, 2004

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Parliament adjourned sine die

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI. FEB 5. Parliament was adjourned sine die today after a week-long extended winter session. The 13th Lok Sabha is likely to be dissolved tomorrow to pave the way for the general elections.

The Lok Sabha, Speaker Manohar Joshi, described the 13th Lok Sabha as yet another milestone in the history of the country's parliamentary democracy. He extended his good wishes to the members in the elections that are to follow. " We will be going to the people for a renewed mandate, I hope we will meet again in the new House." The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Leader of the Opposition and several members of the Union Cabinet were present in the House when Mr. Joshi made the announcement. The Chairman, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, adjourned the Rajya Sabha.

The 13th Lok Sabha was constituted on October 10, 1999 and held its first session on October 20 that year. It altogether held 356 sittings spread over 14 sessions. The Lok Sabha also witnessed the joint sitting of both the Houses on March 26,2002 to pass the Prevention of Terrorism Bill. The two earlier joint sittings were held in connection with Dowry Prohibition Bill in 1959 and Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill in 1977, he said.

Mr. Joshi informed the House that the Lok Sabha had passed a total of 305 Bills, and had given its approval to 14 Constitution Amendment Bills, including making right to education a fundamental right .The House also passed other Constitution Amendment Bills restricting the size of the Council of Ministers and amending the Anti-Defection Law by omitting the provisions relating to splits. He also pointed out that 43 Bills were pending before the House, including important legislation such as the Women's Reservation Bill and the Lok Pal Bill 2001.

The Speaker also paid tributes to the security personnel who gave up their lives in defending Parliament against the terrorist attack on December 13, 2001. "Their sacrifices will be live with us forever" he said. He also recalled with sadness the passing away of his predecessor G.M.C. Balayogi and Krishna Kant, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Presenting a resume of the 13th Lok Sabha to the media. Mr. Joshi listed the No - Confidence Motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, on August 18, and the three international Parliamentary Conferences as the highlights of the 13th Lok Sabha. He also recalled the joint address to both Houses of Parliament by the former United States President, Bill Clinton, and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, stressed the fact that this was the second part of the winter session and defended the Government decision not prorogue the House in December. She also listed the inability to get the Women's Reservation Bill passed as one of her major disappointments. She said that the highlights of the session were the passage of the interims railway and general budgets.

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