India News | TMC MP Urges Govt to Start Afresh, Allow More Discussion, Scrutiny of Bills

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen on Tuesday urged the government to start afresh in its third term by allowing more discussion and scrutiny of bills through parliamentary panels, alleging that the practice was not followed during the previous two terms of the BJP-led dispensation.

Taking part in the discussion on the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, Sen said, "In the 17th Lok Sabha, a total of 221 bills were passed, of which one-third were passed with less than a 60-minute discussion".

Also Read | Budaun Shamsi Shahi Jama Masjid Dispute: Court Asks Muslim Side To Complete Arguments on December 10.

"I hope that I, and all other members, will be allowed to speak and carry out our duty in scrutinising this Bill," she said.

Hitting out at the government for pushing legislation without proper scrutiny, Sen said seven out of 10 bills were sent to committees for scrutiny in the 15th Lok Sabha.

Also Read | Wildlife Trafficking Busted: 3 Arrested With Suspected Chital Meat in Madhya Pradesh.

"In the 17th Lok Sabha, only two out of 10 bills were sent for scrutiny," the TMC MP added.

Sen, a member of the Upper House from West Bengal, further said, "The 18th Lok Sabha is an opportunity for the Union government to start afresh. Let us not allow for it to be a repeat of the 17th Lok Sabha. We have to be democratic."

While welcoming the government's intent to bring amendments to the existing law governing exploration and production of oil and gas to update legislation as per the current market requirements, Sen, however, hit out at the Centre's disinvestment policy related to the sector.

"Profitable PSUs like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum are on the list of disinvestment of the Union government's Viksit Bharat scheme. This should not happen," she asserted.

She also accused the government of letting "a select few private entities" make profit from the import of Russian crude oil at discounted price.

"Earlier this year, the government saved USD 25 billion by importing Russian crude oil at discounted prices. This was welcomed as a great move that would finally give us some relief from rising prices domestically. Not a single penny of this was used to benefit the people. Domestic prices continue to remain high day after day," she said.

Instead, Sen said, "The oil was sold to private refineries in Europe, translating to profit margins for a select few private entities. We don't understand who the Union government is working for."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)