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Informist, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024

NEW DELHI - The Winter Session of Parliament, which witnessed stormy proceedings, unabated ruckus, and dramatic showdowns, ended on a sour note Friday amid fresh protests and counter-protests. Both Houses were adjourned sine die without conducting any business apart from the passage of a motion to set up a joint parliamentary committee to study the "One Nation, One Election" bills. The controversial bills, which are being opposed tooth and nail by the opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance, were introduced in the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

Contentious speeches during the debate on the Constitution and the simultaneous poll proposal, among other issues, kept temperatures high inside Parliament despite the cold winter air outside.

Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B.R. Ambedkar during his reply to the debate in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution set off a massive row with the Opposition accusing the government of disrespecting the architect of the statute. The BJP countered by accusing previous Congress governments of having amended the Constitution repeatedly over years to reap political mileage.

Shah's remarks worsened the slug fest inside and outside Parliament. The Opposition demanded Shah's resignation and an apology. The BJP countered that the video shared by the Congress was "doctored".

On the penultimate day of the session Thursday, BJP and Congress lawmakers had a physical confrontation at the doors of Parliament House. Pratap Sarangi of the BJP was injured, with ruling party members claiming Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had pushed another BJP lawmaker, Mukesh Rajput, onto him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, accused BJP members of pushing him and injuring his knee. Kharge had recently undergone knee surgery.

From the very beginning, the session, which opened on Nov. 25, was marred by disruptions and adjournments with members of the Opposition staging protests and walkouts over various issues, including their demand for a discussion on the indictment in the US of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani. The ruling party countered by trying to link the Congress with US-based billionaire philanthropist George Soros and seeking a debate on what it called a question of the "country's security."

Questioning the single largest Opposition party's alleged ties with people associated with the Soros Foundation and foreign nationals who have in the past criticised India, BJP member Nishikant Dubey sought to know if Gandhi had links with foreign forces trying to "derail" India's growth trajectory.

The session also saw the Opposition submit a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing the presiding officer of partisan behaviour. The motion was rejected by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh on the grounds that a 14-day notice was not given and the motion was littered with errors.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, recently elected in a bye-election from Kerala's Wayanad constituency, was sworn in. She also made her maiden speech during the debate on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.  End

Reported by Shahid K. Abbas

Edited by Rajeev Pai

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