An adjournment motion is a parliamentary procedure that allows members of a legislative body to raise a matter of urgent public importance for discussion in the House. In India, the adjournment motion is a powerful tool used by opposition parties to draw attention to pressing issues and hold the government accountable for its actions.
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The Procedure of Adjournment Motion
The adjournment motion can be moved by any member of the House after the Question Hour and before the regular business of the day begins. The member has to give written notice to the Speaker or the Chairman of the House stating the issue to be discussed. The motion is accepted if it is supported by at least 50 members of the House. Once accepted, the House is adjourned for a specified period, usually not more than a day, to discuss the matter mentioned in the motion.
Discussion
During the discussion, the member who has moved the motion and other members are allowed to speak. The concerned minister or representative of the government is required to reply to the issues raised during the discussion. The discussion usually lasts for a few hours and gives the opposition parties a platform to highlight the government’s shortcomings and demand immediate action. The adjournment motion is a potent tool used by the opposition to bring the government to account and to highlight pressing issues of public importance.
Example of Adjournment Motion
An example of an adjournment motion in recent times was during the monsoon session of Parliament in August 2021 when opposition parties moved a motion to discuss the issue of rising fuel prices. The motion was accepted, and the House was adjourned for the rest of the day to discuss the matter. During the discussion, opposition parties raised concerns about the steep increase in fuel prices and its impact on inflation and the economy. The concerned minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, responded to the issues raised by the opposition parties and defended the government’s policies. The discussion lasted for a few hours, and the motion was put to vote and negatived.
Conclusion
The adjournment motion is a vital tool in the parliamentary system that allows members of the House to hold the government accountable for its actions and highlight pressing issues of public importance. The motion is a potent mechanism used by the opposition to bring the government to account and to demand immediate action on pressing issues. The adjournment motion is a testament to the democratic nature of the Indian parliamentary system and reinforces the importance of public debate and accountability in a vibrant democracy.
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