India's Parliament concluded its Monsoon Session on Thursday when Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha sine die at 11:06 am, followed by the Rajya Sabha, ending a 19-sitting session scheduled from July 20 to August 13 that was dominated by opposition protests over the NEET examination controversy and police action against student demonstrators.
India's Parliament Monsoon Session ends with 19% Lok Sabha productivity, NEET controversy unresolved
India's Parliament concluded its Monsoon Session on Thursday when Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha sine die at 11:06 am, followed by the Rajya Sabha, ending a 19-sitting session scheduled from July 20 to August 13 that was dominated by opposition protests over the NEET examination controversy and police action against student demonstrators.
The Lok Sabha's final proceedings lasted three minutes and ten seconds, during which all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were rendered — described in the source as a first for Parliament — with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders standing to attention. Speaker Om Birla did not deliver his customary valedictory remarks.
Opposition members shouted 'apologise, apologise' and 'who ordered the lathi-charge?' as Shah entered the chamber. The Opposition had demanded Shah's statement and presence in both Houses over police action during a July 20 march by students toward Parliament protesting alleged NEET examination irregularities.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said 12 Bills were introduced and acknowledged limited debate. 'It was a good session…we have passed 13 bills; but it was not a good session in terms of discussion,' he said. Lok Sabha productivity stood at 19%, compared with 39% in Rajya Sabha, according to Rijiju. Rijiju also accused the Opposition of avoiding debate despite the government's stated willingness to discuss issues.
According to PRS Legislative Research, 10 Bills were cleared by both Houses during the session. Key legislation included the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, which received the most discussion at 17 hours and 34 minutes across both Houses, and the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, which raised the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges other than the Chief Justice from 33 to 37. Several other Bills passed with limited discussion, including four minutes each for the birth and death registration and Supreme Court judges Bills.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress president and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised an alleged 'purification' ritual at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani after his public meeting there. Kharge said all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were played following Union Home Ministry directions on the National Song's protocol. The session also passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, providing statutory protection around national symbols.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill was not passed and was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed scrutiny amid Opposition demands that it be withdrawn.
- The source does not reconcile the figure of 12 Bills introduced and 11 passed cited in one section with the figure of 12 Bills introduced and 10 cleared by both Houses cited in the PRS Legislative Research section, nor does it attribute the figure of 13 Bills passed stated by Rijiju.
- The source does not state the outcome or timeline of any investigation into the Haldwani 'purification' incident pledged by Nadda.
- The source does not state the specific nature or details of the police action on July 20 that the Opposition cited as the basis for its demands.
- The source does not provide an independent or official account of what occurred at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani beyond the claims made by Kharge.
- The source does not state what action, if any, was taken or planned on the NEET examination irregularity allegations beyond the political dispute over whether to debate them.
- The source does not state the total number of sittings lost to disruption or adjournments during the session.
Read the original at The Times of India