The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on Thursday, August 13, amid slogans of “Answer, answer” and continued disruptions. The proceedings of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die.
Opposition MPs repeatedly raised slogans and staged protests during the Monsoon Session. On the final day, normal proceedings in both Houses could not continue for extended periods.
The opposition reiterated its demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to respond to the action against protesters during a demonstration in Delhi. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier said that the Home Minister was ready to respond in the House and participate in the discussion. He argued that the opposition should remain in the House, hear the government’s position and participate in the debate.
The opposition said the government had not taken a clear position on its key demands in time. The Congress and other opposition parties alleged that the government was avoiding accountability on important issues.
The opposition also bly raised the issue of alleged irregularities involving offerings linked to the Ram Temple during the session. Opposition parties demanded a discussion in Parliament and questioned the government over the matter.
No agreement was reached between the government and the opposition, and the deadlock continued. Both sides maintained their respective positions during the final phase of the session.
Amid the political exchanges, Amit Shah said the government was ready to answer all questions. He accused the opposition of avoiding discussion and disrupting the proceedings of the House. The opposition rejected the claim, saying it wanted clear answers on issues concerning accountability and important matters. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also responded to the Home Minister’s position, saying the opposition wanted clear answers regarding the Delhi incident.
The Prime Minister and the Home Minister were present in Parliament on the final day of the session. However, normal legislative proceedings could not progress because of the disruptions.
The proceedings were adjourned after the national song ‘Vande Mataram’. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal held the government responsible for the deadlock during the session. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also questioned the government’s parliamentary participation and its approach to responding to important issues.
The government, meanwhile, accused the opposition of deliberately refusing to participate in discussions in the House.
According to Kiren Rijiju, the Monsoon Session was good in terms of legislative business, with a total of 12 bills passed during the session. However, he did not describe the situation as satisfactory in terms of discussions and the productivity of the Houses.
According to the government, the productivity of the Lok Sabha was approximately 19 percent, while that of the Rajya Sabha was around 39 percent.
Rijiju said that only limited subjects could be discussed in detail in the Lok Sabha and that normal debate was affected by the opposition’s protests. He criticised the opposition, saying that in his parliamentary experience, it was an unusual situation in which the government was offering discussions while the opposition was prioritising protests instead of participating in them.
Before the Monsoon Session, the government’s legislative plans included the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill and a proposal related to delimitation. However, amid the continued deadlock during the session, the expected progress on these proposals could not be made.
The FCRA Amendment Bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
The further process on the proposal related to delimitation was also deferred.
