Privilege Motion, Adjournment Motion, Motion of Thanks etc.
Q. Which of the following is/are true regarding various motions in Parliament?
1) Privilege Motion is not to censure a minister.
2) Calling Attention Motion is an Indian innovation.
3) Rajya Sabha can make use of Adjournment Motion.
4) Motion of Thanks is voted.- Published on 03 Mar 17a. 3, 4
b. 1
c. 2, 4
d. 1, 2, 3,
ANSWER: 2, 4
- Privilege Motion - It is concerned with the breach of parliamentary privileges by a minister.
- It is moved by a member when he feels that a minister has committed a breach of privilege of the House or one or more of its members by withholding facts of a case or by giving wrong or distorted facts.
- Its purpose is to censure the concerned minister.
- Calling Attention Motion - It is introduced in the Parliament by a member to call the attention of a minister to a matter of urgent public importance, and to seek an authoritative statement from him on that matter.
- Like the zero hour, it is also an Indian innovation in the parliamentary procedure and has been in existence since 1954.
- However, unlike the zero hour, it is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.
- Adjournment Motion - It is introduced in the Parliament to draw attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance.
- It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.
- Since it interrupts the normal business of the House, it is regarded as an extraordinary device.
- It involves an element of censure against the government and hence Rajya Sabha is not permitted to make use of this device.
- The discussion on an adjournment motion should last for more than two hours and thirty minutes.
The right to move a motion for an adjournment of the business of the House is subject to the following restrictions -
1. It should raise a matter which is definite, factual, urgent and of public importance.
2. It should not cover more than one matter.
3. It should be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence and should not be framed in general terms.
4. It should not raise a question of privilege.
5. It should not revive discussion on a matter that has been discussed in the same session.
6. It should not deal with any matter that is under adjudication by court.
7. It should not raise any question that can be raised on a distinct motion.
- Motion of Thanks - The first session after each general election and the first session of every fiscal year is addressed by the president.
- In this address, the president outlines the policies and programmes of the government in the previous year and coming year.
- This address of the president, which corresponds to the ‘speech from the Throne in Britain’, is discussed in both the Houses of Parliament on a motion called the ‘Motion of Thanks’.
- At the end of the discussion, the motion is put to vote.
- This motion must be passed in the House.
- Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government.
- This inaugural speech of the president is an occasion available to the members of Parliament to raise discussions and debates to examine and criticize the government and administration for its lapses and failures.
