‘Outgoing state Assembly sat 156 times since 2008’

The outgoing Gujarat Assembly sat 156 times through 10 sessions between 2008 and 2012, and passed 123 bills while spending a total of 218 hours to debate and discuss these bills, an average of 1 hour 45 minutes per bill, according to an RTI-based report prepared by the National Election Watch (NEW).

Congress secretary Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Narendra Modi had this week squabbled over the Assembly's performance; Gandhi had remarked at an election campaign rally in Jamnagar that the state Assembly met for just 25 days in a year.

"If Rahul Gandhi had so much love for the Vidhan Sabha, he should know that in Gujarat the Assembly has debated issues for days on end but the attitude of the Congress has not been positive," Modi had replied, adding, "We discuss issues for many days and bills are passed."

The report, titled "Performance report of MLAs of Gujarat Legislative Assembly", says the state Assembly sat 31 times per year on an average, which is "way below the Lok Sabha sittings" (the present Lok Sabha has sat 243 times through 10 sessions in three-and-a-half years).

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