RS MPs don't want change in Question Hour, Zero Hour timings

Reservation was voiced in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday over the decision to shuffle the timing of Question Hour and Zero Hour from Parliament’s next session with Samajwadi Party seeking its reconsideration.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Naresh Agarwal from the SP said under no rule, Zero Hour can take place at 11 am as decided on Monday and it will be “invalid” and “void”. SP leader Ramgopal Yadav and Subbarami Reddy, from the Congress, supported him on the issue.

In an apparent move to ensure smooth functioning of the House, the general purposes committee of Rajya Sabha headed by Chairman Hamid Ansari on Monday decided that the House will have its Question Hour at 12 noon from the next session of Parliament while the Zero Hour was been slotted for 11 am -- when the House meets for the day.

The committee also decided that henceforth the House, which usually sat from 11 am to 5 pm, will now sit up to 6 pm.

A few years back, the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha was shifted for a few days to 2-3 pm when the Upper House was witnessing frequent adjournments over various issues and the Question Hour had become a casualty.

Agrawal said there is “no rule” for Zero Hour in the rulebook of Parliament and it has been adopted from British Parliamentary practice, where Zero hour happens at 12:00 noon.

“The decision taken yesterday (to change the timing) should be reconsidered. In none of the state assemblies, Zero Hour takes place at 11 am. Even in Lok Sabha, the Zero Hour takes place at 12 noon,” the SP leader insisted.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien said there is a proper forum of the Rule Committee to change any Parliamentary rule and if any rule is amended, the House has to approve it after the committee takes a decision.