Discussion on Home denied, Opp says govt dragging feet on Cooperation Ministry in Rajya Sabha

The DMK’s Tiruchi N Siva, who was scheduled to initiate the debate on the Cooperation Ministry in the Rajya Sabha, told The Indian Express that it was the government that had offered to hold a discussion on it “as they had rejected our demand for a debate on the Ministry of Home”. “The debate (on the Cooperation Ministry) was listed for Tuesday. The Chairman’s (Jagdeep Dhankhar’s) office was also ready for the discussion. But they (the government) deliberately dragged the discussion on the New and Renewable Energy Ministry for eight hours. The House could have slotted time for it today (Wednesday), but did not.”

Opposition leaders said that this confirms their belief that the government is trying to insulate key ministries from gruelling debates in Parliament.

“First we wanted to discuss the ministries of Home, Defence etc, but we were given the Ministry of Cooperation… Now even the Ministry of Cooperation has been taken off. Why can’t the government discuss this?” TMC MP Sagarika Ghose said.

Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor said the government was equally reluctant when it came to sensitive ministries in the Lower House too. “They seem completely unwilling to discuss any issue they are uncomfortable with. There are a whole range of issues in relation to Home – Jammu and Kashmir, the application of the UAPA, the functioning of Governors, misuse of investigating agencies,” Tharoor said, adding that in the absence of a discussion in Parliament, there was public “venting”.

Giving the example of the Ladakh situation, he added: “We have been asking for a discussion on the China border since the incident in the Galwan Valley. But the government says it is sensitive.”

Senior Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh said: “In the Lok Sabha, we had demanded discussions on Home, External Affairs, Defence and Education Ministries, but they agreed only on Education. The Opposition has been demanding inclusion of key ministries like Home and Defence in the debates on demands for grants for long.”

After the Budget presentation, while the Lok Sabha discusses demands for grants for selected ministries, the Rajya Sabha holds discussion on the working of some of them.

The final word on the ministries selected for debate lies with the government. The Opposition places their demand before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the House concerned, which decides the agenda then for that House, including the ministries to be discussed.

The expenditure demands of the ministries not discussed are guillotined.

Nishikant Dubey, a senior BJP leader and member of the Lok Sabha BAC, refuted the Opposition’s claim that they had sought a debate on Defence or Home in the Lower House. “This time they wanted to discuss Education and Railways,” Dubey said.

Incidentally, the last time the Home Ministry came up for discussion on its functioning was in 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha and 2014-15 in the Rajya Sabha.

Earlier this week, almost the entire Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, except the YSRCP and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), demanded that the Home Ministry be included among the four ministries whose functioning was to be discussed in this Session. Besides the parties in the INDIA bloc, the BJD also endorsed the demand.

With the government not willing for it, the Opposition leaders agreed to the suggestion to discuss the Ministry of Cooperation. “As most of the Opposition parties wanted to take up issues like the misuse of Central investigative agencies and the role and actions of Governors, we gave two representations for the Home Ministry to be discussed in the House. When the government refused, the leaders agreed to have a discussion on the Ministry of Cooperation. It is a ministry held by the Home Minister as well, and he would have had to reply to the debate,” said an Opposition leader.

According to PRS Legislative Research data, between 2015-16 and 2024-25, more than 60% of the Union Budget did not come up for discussion any year in the Lok Sabha. This means that the expenditure proposed for ministries, equalling more than two-thirds of the total Budget expenditure, was approved without discussion.

Since 2000, as per PRS data, the Lok Sabha has discussed the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2000-01, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-2010, 2012-2013, 2014-15 and 2016-17. In the Rajya Sabha, it came up for discussion in 2002-03, 2010-2011 and 2014-15.

The Lower House discussed the Defence Ministry only in 2008-09 and 2017-18, and the Upper House in 2000-01, 2003-04 and 2012-13.

In this Session, the Lok Sabha has discussed demands for grants for the Ministries of Education, Health and Family Welfare, and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The Rajya Sabha has taken up debates on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and New and Renewable Energy Ministries.