Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’ Brien on Wednesday slammed the government over the speed with which the bills are being passed this Parliament session. A day after the government passed the Triple Talaq Bill, opposition’s demand to send it to the select committee, the quiz-master-turned-politician asked is the parliament delivering pizzas or passing legislation.

The TMC MP on Tuesday had said that the way bills are being passed in both houses is akin to making mockery of the Parliament and that the government is smothering the Opposition. “Parliament is supposed to scrutinise Bills. This chart explains the bulldozing this Session. Are we delivering pizzas or passing legislation?” O’ Brien tweeted on Wednesday.

In his tweet, O’Brien also attached a chart showing the contrast in numbers of bills approved in Parliament. During 2004-2009, as many as 60 per cent of the total bills were scrutinised by Parliament , in 2009-2014, 71 per cent of bills were scrutinised. However, from 2014-2019 the number fell to 26 per cent. In current Lok Sabha, only 1 out of 18 bills passed was scrutinised, taking the number down to 5 per cent, he added.

Also read: Triple Talaq bill: Where were your MPs during voting in Rajya Sabha, Asaduddin Owaisi stumps Opposition parties

The Opposition accused the government of not keeping its word on sending some bills that included Triple Talaq bill to the Select Committee. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue during Zero Hour, saying the government had approached them and asked which bills they wanted to be sent to select committees. All parties wanted that at least six bills be sent to committees for scrutiny, he added further.

“I am drawing the attention of the chair…I am seeking your indulgence, we wanted that RTI bill to be sent to the Select Committee,” he was quoted by PTI as saying. Azad then pointed out that the government approached the opposition through the Parliamentary Minister, who wanted to know which bills could to be sent to select committees.