New Delhi: The Monsoon session of Parliament, which began on July 21, ended on Thursday without significant business as continuous opposition protests and adjournments led to a complete washout.
The month-long session was dominated by uproar over the Special Electoral Rolls (SIR) review in Bihar and the Pahalgam terror attack, with the INDIA bloc staging daily demonstrations, brandishing placards, and shouting slogans both inside and outside the House.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to conduct proceedings on the final day, reminding MPs it was the last sitting of the session, but his pleas were drowned out by protests. Later, he blamed “organised disruptions” for the collapse of productivity. Of the 120 hours scheduled, Lok Sabha functioned for only 30% of its time, while Rajya Sabha managed 39%, briefly overshadowed by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s shock resignation on day one.
The only substantive debate was a multi-day discussion in both Houses on the Pahalgam attack—Operation Sindoor. Attempts by the opposition to force a discussion on SIR were firmly resisted by the government, triggering confrontations throughout. The situation escalated further when the government, in the final days, introduced three bills mandating the automatic dismissal of CMs and ministers jailed for 30 days, leading to near scuffles in the Lok Sabha in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.
The washout, rare under the Modi government, reflected the new arithmetic in the 18th Lok Sabha, where Congress and its allies command greater strength and the INDIA bloc has held together firmly. The TMC’s full alignment with the opposition bolstered coordination. The last major disruption recalled by MPs was the 2023 winter session, which ended amid protests over the new criminal law codes.
Blame for the deadlock was divided. Congress leader Manickam Tagore said, “More than 239 MPs demanded a full discussion on ‘vote chori’ and SIR. What did they get? Zero minutes of debate.” In contrast, BJP ally and RLD MP Rajkumar Sangwan called the opposition’s conduct “unfortunate” and accused them of blocking the House from functioning.
