Despite the ongoing stalemate in Parliament, some MPs have suggested that the government may guillotine grant requests and approve the Finance Bill without debate in the Lok Sabha.
What is a Guillotine?
- A guillotine is a device used to effectively carry out beheading executions.
- It is made up of a large, weighted blade that is raised to the top of a tall, erect frame and then unleashed to descend on the neck of a condemned person who is secured at the bottom of the frame, executing them in a single, clean pass.
- The precise device, as well as the term, can be found in France.
- The guillotine was designed to make capital punishment more reliable and less painful in line with new Enlightenment human rights concepts.
Guillotine Motion in Parliament
- To “guillotine” means to group together and expedite the passage of financial affairs in legislative parlance.
- During the Budget Session, it is a fairly regular procedural exercise in Lok Sabha.
- Following the presentation of the Budget, Parliament goes into recess for approximately three weeks, during which time House Standing Committees examine Demands for Grants for different Ministries and prepare reports.
- The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) creates a schedule for talks on the Demands for Grants after Parliament reconvenes.
- Due to time constraints, the House cannot take up all Ministry expenditure demands; thus, the BAC names some key Ministries for discussion.
- It typically includes Grant Demands from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development, and Human Resource Development.
Why would you use such a motion?
- Members take advantage of the chance to discuss Ministry policies and operations.
- When the House has finished debating these issues, the Speaker invokes the “guillotine,” and all pending grant requests are put to a vote all at once.
- This typically occurs on the last day set aside for Budget deliberation.
- The goal is to guarantee the timely passage of the Finance Bill, which will mark the end of the Budget legislative process.
Source: https://m.economictimes.com/budget-terms-what-is-the-guillotine/articleshow/18512403.cms