Parliament Adjourns Sine Die Amidst Bitter Stalemate and Controversy

NEW DELHI: The winter session of Parliament ended on Friday as it was adjourned sine die. The session had seen much heat over India's constitutional evolution and introduction of two important bills related to simultaneous elections. However, the session also saw rising political tension, which finally took a form of confrontation over an alleged disrespect towards B.R. Ambedkar, leaving relations between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties sour.

On the last day of the session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was compelled to adjourn the House within minutes, failing even to utter the customary summing-up remarks because of the sharp discord. In contrast, Rajya Sabha had a relatively more peaceful end with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reading out his valedictory speech amidst protests.

The productivity of the session was also very low. Lok Sabha could manage only 58% efficiency, which is much lower than the historical 100% benchmark. The performance of Rajya Sabha was even worse as it could manage only 40.03% productivity. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju shifted the blame to the opposition, especially Congress, alleging that despite prior agreements, the latter still disrupted proceedings.

The session’s legislative focus included five bills in the Lok Sabha, with four passed, while Rajya Sabha approved three. A special session was also held to mark Constitution Day on November 26. Meanwhile, opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar, accusing him of bias. The motion was rejected by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

Also Read: Net Inflows in SIPs up 233 Percent in India this Year: Report

Also Watch: