Parliament passes Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill by voice vote amid Oppn protests

When the members of the Opposition tried to raise a point of order, the Chair, Bhubaneswar Kalita, said he would allow a point of order only when there was order in the house. He then asked all the members to return to their seats.

When Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was given the floor, he urged that the chair apply the rules similarly for both sides of the House. He said, “When the members from this side raise a point of order, then you say that the house is not in order. There, they are giving speeches. And, you are allowing them. This is unfair, untenable…”

To this, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda said, “Sir, those who create disorder in the house have no right to raise a point of order… the persons who are trying to create disorder in the house, they have no right to talk about a point of order. If you are so interested, obey the rules accordingly; otherwise, the chair’s direction is the final.

When Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari tried to raise an issue about “propriety”, Kalita again said he could only speak about the Bill being discussed. When the Opposition members were called to speak on the Bill, they either did not go back to their seats and forfeited their chance, or they tried to raise the issue of SIR.

Kalita said that nothing would go on the record and moved to the next speaker.

During the voting on the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, CPI (M) member Dr John Brittas moved an amendment, and asked for division of votes — a method for recording the votes of the members when the voice vote is unclear. The chair said that this could not be done as the House was not in order, to which Dr Brittas said that it was his responsibility to do so.

The voting proceeded with a voice vote, following which Dr Brittas did not move two subsequent amendments listed against his name. The Bill was then passed by a voice vote.

Lok Sabha passed the Bill, which replaces the 1925 Indian Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, in March this year. The Bill aligns India’s maritime law with international conventions and seeks to modernise provisions governing the transport of goods by sea.