Monsoon session of Parliament washed out

NEW DELHI: Monsoon session of Parliament ended Thursday the way it began on July 21 - with opposition MPs in the well, adjournments, and washout of proceedings. The month-long parliamentary session was dominated by controversies about Bihar electoral rolls review and Pahalgam terror attack, with INDIA bloc on the offensive.When Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to conduct the proceedings on Thursday, reminding the protesting members that it was the last day of the session, his pleas were met with barbs from a few members about a discussion on SIR still being possible on the last day.Opposition offensive on SIR during the session was met with resistance from govt, leading to daily protests involving use of placards and aggressive sloganeering, which were preceded by large demonstrations at Parliament entrance every morning. At the end, an anguished Birla blamed "organised disruptions" for fall in productivity. Out of 120 hours allotted for proceedings, LS functioned for around 30% of its scheduled time and RS - where the disruptions were eclipsed briefly by the shock resignation of vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on the first day of the session - for around 39% of its allotted time.The only orderly business conducted was the discussion on Pahalgam attack-Operation Sindoor, which occupied LS and RS for two days each over three days.

When opposition drew up its list of issues for discussion ahead of the start of session, Pahalgam and SIR figured on the top. While govt agreed to discuss the Indo-Pak clashes, it rebuffed any bid to discuss Bihar SIR. And even as SIR remained the dominant trigger for confrontation, govt's surprise move at the near end of the session to bring three bills prescribing automatic dismissal of CMs and ministers jailed for 30 days aggravated the situation, with near scuffles in LS in the presence of home minister Amit Shah on the penultimate day.If the washout was a rare occurrence under the all-dominant Modi govt, the reasons were two-fold: increased Congress and opposition strength in the 18th Lok Sabha and complete unity in the anti-BJP axis, including for upcoming vice-presidential election. TMC's unquestioned siding with opposition made a big difference, as there was no discordant note in strategy and execution. The last washout that opposition members recalled was the 2023 winter session when the issue of new criminal laws to replace CrPC and IPC had led to mass suspensions from both Houses.Congress' Manickam Tagore blamed BJP for the deadlock: "More than 239 MPs demanded a full discussion on 'vote chori' and SIR. What did they get? Zero minutes of debate." On the other hand, BJP ally and RLD MP Rajkumar Sangwan said, "Opposition's behaviour was unfortunate. It did not allow the House to function properly."