Legislative procedure

Members of both the Houses can put questions to ministers about the work of their departments. They discuss all matters of public importance. But here again, the Lok Sabha has more power than the Rajya Sabha. The Council of Ministers is responsible only to the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha has no power to pass a motion expressing No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers. The Constitution puts the Rajya Sabha on an equal footing with the Lok Sabha in these matters : the election and impeachment of the President, removal of the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, Proclamation of Emergency, Promulgation of Ordinances and Constitutional Amendments. The fact remains that the Rajya Sabha is not at par with the Lok Sabha. It does not, however, mean that the Rajya Sabha has no important role to play in the Governmental machinery. Neither House by itself constitutes the Parliament. It is the two Houses together that are the Parliament in India. The Parliament can create new All India Services only if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution to this effect. Moreover, the Rajya Sabha is a 'Continuing House', a Parliament chamber. It is not subject to dissolution like the Lok Sabha. It has to play a major role during the periods when the Lok Sabha is dissolved. All this helps to show that the Rajya Sabha is an influential and useful body.