India's new subject-based parliamentary standing committees

Asian Survey

Volumn 36, Issue 7, 1996, Pages 723-737

  Rubinoff, Arthur G ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK; LEGISLATURE; PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM;

INDIA;

EID: 0030439380     PISSN: 00044687     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1525/as.1996.36.7.01p0152o     Document Type: Article

References (28)

1. Parliamentary Committees in India (New Delhi: Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, 1973), preface.
2. W. H. Morris-Jones, Parliament in India (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1957), p. 264.
3. S. P. Maheshwari, "Informal Consultative Committees of Parliament," Journal of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, 2 (January-March 1968), p. 46. This article, pp. 27-53, is a superb source on India's early committees.
4. Promila Suri, Growth of Committee Systems in the Central Legislature of India 1920-1947 (New Delhi: Associated Publishing Co., 1979), pp. 28-29.
5. As one observer put it, "A studious effort seems to have been made from the very inception of Parliament to avoid the device of standing committees." L. M. Singhvi, "Key Role of Standing Committees: Agenda for Reform," in Parliamentary Committees in India, p. 3.
6. R.K. Khadilkar, "Parliamentary Committees: Case for Wider Powers," in ibid., p. 13.
7. Time Spent on Various Kinds of Business in Lok Sabha: An Appraisal (New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretariat, January 1994), p. 3.
8. Parliamentary Committees (New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretarial, 1988).
9. Interview, New Delhi, December 14, 1990.
10. In the words of one parliamentarian, "In the House 10% - usually party leaders - speak 90% of the time. Now 45 people who mirror the country's diverse socio-economic, class, regional and linguistic background - not just 20 - have the opportunity to speak on an issue if they study and prepare." Interview, New Delhi, January 5, 1994.
11. When a Congress MP wrote to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs V. C. Shukla pointing out that additional committee duties should entitle legislators to more personal office staff, he received no response. "Letter from Oscar Fernandes, M.P., to V. C. Shukla, June 6, 1993," provided in an interview, New Delhi, January 6, 1994.
12. Interview with Syed Shahabuddin, Janata Dal member of the Lok Sabha from Bihar, New Delhi, February 25, 1994.
13. Interview, New Delhi, December 26, 1993.
14. Interview, New Delhi, December 25, 1993.
15. Interview, New Delhi, December 15, 1993.
16. Interview, New Delhi, December 13, 1993.
17. Times of India, November 11, 1994.
18. In an interview, a former (and future) minister said he did not want to debunk them, then proceeded to do just that.
19. Interview with M. M. Jacob, member of the Rajya Sabha from Kerala, December 15, 1993.
20. Rajya Sabha, Departmental-Related Standing Committee on Commerce (1993-94), Draft Dunkel Proposals (New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Secretariat, December 1993).
21. Departmentally Related Parliamentary Standing Committees, Recommendations/Observations on Demands for Grants (1994-95), Compendium (New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretariat, May 1994).
22. Interview with Speaker Shivraj Patil, February 24, 1994.
23. Interview with Natish Kumar, acting Janata Dal leader of the Lok Sabha, December 22, 1993. However, he is uncertain this would have transpired had there not been a concurrent demand on the floor of Parliament.
24. Interview with Pawan K. Bansal, Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Chandigarh, January 18, 1994.
25. Interview, New Delhi, December 30, 1993.
26. Interview with Chandrajeet Yadav, Janata Dal member of the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, January 29, 1994.
27. Interview with P. Upendra, member of the Rajya Sabha from Andrha Pradesh, January 3, 1994.
28. Subhash C. Kashyap, "Parliamentary Culture under Threat," Indian Express, May I, 1995.