Upper House: A system that changed course of nation

The 250th session of the Upper House has begun amid a re-dedication of the present members to the spirit of the Rajya Sabha and democratic values.

The contribution of RS to the debates in the Parliament and course-correction is quite rich. It has pioneered several important Bills that changed the course of the nation.

The Lok Sabha members represent only their constituencies, whereas, the Rajya Sabha members represent their States. It could be said that Lok Sabha is connected to the grassroots whereas the Rajya Sabha takes an overview of every issue and paints a long term picture of the nation.

There are times when Lok Sabha is more dominated by the political compulsions, but the Rajya Sabha acts as 'checks and balances' institution. The Rajya Sabha's impact on the society is larger in content.

Look at some of the Bills it has passed over a period: The Hindu Marriage and Divorce Bill 1952, The Hindu Succession Bill 1954, The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill 2012, The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 and the Constitution (One Hundred and Third) Amendment Act 2019 providing for reservation for the economically weaker sections.

The Companies Bill 1953 (and of 1956 and 2013), Banks Nationalisation Bill 1970, Coal Mines Nationalisation Bill 1973, the Prevention of Money Laundering Bill 1999, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Bill 2003, the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Bill 2015, the Constitution Amendment Bill 2016 introducing GST, The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 were some of the landmark Bills that the Rajya Sabha passed after much deliberation.

Then there were other important Bills that had come up at the RS and passed with due diligence and care like The States Reorganisation Bill 1956, The North-Eastern Council Bill 1969, The National Capital Region Planning Board Bill 1985, The Constitution 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts and 1992 providing for direct elections to Panchayats and Municipal Bodies with one third reservation for women.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bill 1955, The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Bill 1991, The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Bill 2011 and the National Medical Commission Bill 2019 set very moral standards for the medical profession and to prevent misuse of technology.

Keeping in view the right of children to free and compulsory education, the Rajya Sabha did not hesitate to pass the relevant Bill in 2009. The forward looking Rajya Sabha members did not hesitate to pass The Wildlife (Protection) Bill 1972, The Forest (Conservation) Bill 1980, The Environment (Protection) Bill 1986, The Compensatory Afforestation Bill 2016, for making their contribution to the environmental issues.

The Second Chamber as the Rajya Sabha is known is also renowned for rejecting and sending back Bills that it feels have not been debated properly by the Lower House. That is the beauty of this bicameral system that the Fathers of our Constitution evolved.