Lok Sabha applies guillotine to pass Budget, Finance Bill — what is it

With the ongoing logjam in the Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla ordered a guillotine to pass the Budget and the Finance Bill this week, helping clear the demands of grants of various ministries without discussion in the face of Opposition disruption. But what is the "guillotine."

A guillotine is a parliamentary procedure that is used to fast-track the passage of a bill without discussion. It is usually applied when the government is keen on passing a bill but the opposition is blocking the same. The procedure involves voting on all outstanding clauses and amendments to a bill at once, which reduces the time required for debate and discussion.

The Lok Sabha passed the Budget 2023 and the Finance Bill 2023 on March 23 and 24, respectively. Both were passed without discussion amidst ruckus by the Opposition over the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

The ongoing logjam in the Parliament has stalled proceedings, which has led to delays in the passage of important bills and legislation. The guillotine procedure was applied to the Budget and the Bill so they could be put to vote without further delay.

Once the Budget was passed on Thursday, the lower house took up the Finance Bill on Friday, which is critical for the government's functioning.

The Centre had to secure the Lok Sabha's approval for the Budget in this session. However, the discussions on the report have been stalled due to the Opposition's protests demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe on the Adani Group. The guillotine procedure helps the government to pass the Budget and other important bills without further delays.

The first sign that the government would opt to "guillotine" the Budget came on Tuesday when the Lok Sabha cleared the Jammu and Kashmir budget without any discussion.

Both Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had convened a meeting of floor leaders on Tuesday, but a truce could not happen as BJP as well as Congress-led Opposition parties refused to drop their respective demands.