Inside Parliament Winter Session – protests, scuffles, and police complaints

Both houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday marking an end to the winter session that was marred by protests, brawls and injuries to two MPs leading to an FIR against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

The Parliament functioned for only about half of its scheduled time amid the chaos throughout the session that began on November 25, according to a report by non-profit, PRS Legislative Research.

The Lok Sabha functioned for 52 per cent of its scheduled time while the Rajya Sabha worked for 39 per cent of its scheduled time, the report said. 

Question Hour affected significantly

The functioning of Question Hour was significantly affected, too. The Question Hour did not function in Rajya Sabha for 15 out of 19 days, PRS report said. In Lok Sabha, the Question Hour did not function for more than 10 minutes on 12 out of 20 days.

Members use Question Hour to ask questions to the government regarding its policies and actions.

One Bill, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, was passed in the first six months of the 18th Lok Sabha's term. This, PRS said, is the ‘lowest in the last six Lok Sabha terms.’

The two Bills introduced by the government paving way for ‘one nation, one election’ were referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further scrutiny.

The proceedings of Winter Session of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were washed out in the first week of the Parliament's Winter Session ending November 29, marred by protests by the Opposition over a host of issues, including the Adani Bribery Case, Manipur, and violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Protests continued in the subsequent weeks too, though the proceedings continued.

The functioning in both houses remained normal during the “Discussion on the Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India.” The debate was held in Lok Sabha on December 13-14 and in Rajya Sabha on December 16-17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to the debate in Lok Sabha on December 14.

What, however, triggered uproar was Union Home Minister Amit Shah's controversial remarks on Ambedkar while replying during the debate in Rajya Sabha. The Congress protested demanding Shah’s resignation. A scuffle ensued between the Opposition and ruling MPs at the Makar Dwar, the main entrance to the parliament building on Thursday, December 19.

The BJP alleged that two of its MPs, Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput sustained injuries after being allegedly pushed by Rahul Gandhi. Both Congress and the BJP filed police complaints. An FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress wrote to Speaker Om Birla claiming that Rahul Gandhi was “physically manhandled” by three ruling party MPs. Party President Mallikarjun Kharge also wrote to the Speaker saying he was “physically pushed by BJP MPs” and demanded an inquiry.

Among other highlights of the session, the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of bias. The motion was rejected.