Parliament washout: Both Houses adjourned sine die amid fierce BJP-INDIA bloc standoff

NEW DELHI: Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on Thursday, making a Parliament washout as aggressive sloganeering and fierce counter-protests from both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition INDIA bloc derailed parliamentary proceedings.

Earlier, the BJP protested against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party’s lack of acknowledgement regarding the ongoing protests in Jharkhand.

That was followed by controversial sloganeering by opposition MPs, led by Congress MP Pawan Khera, who were seen protesting with a toy monkey and sloganeering, “56 inch ka chhota bandar, jaldi aao sadan ke andar.”

CPI(M) MP Amra Ram accused the BJP government of indulging in theatrics and passing legislation without debate; a trend he claimed was unprecedented in Parliament’s history.

Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, ending the Monsoon Session amid repeated disruptions and government-opposition deadlock, despite the passage of several key bills.

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“The ruling BJP bears the primary responsibility for this, as it refuses to address issues concerning the public. Look at the inhumane repression inflicted upon children, the use of pellet guns and stun guns, and the refusal to even provide an answer. They are merely interested in theatrics. In my 70 years of life, I have never witnessed bills being passed in Parliament without discussion; while this might happen in state assemblies, it is only under the Modi government that laws are being passed in Parliament without any debate,” he said.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar hit back at the INDIA bloc, saying that it suffers from a “fear psychosis,” claiming the government and Home Minister Amit Shah were fully prepared to discuss any topic, including the ongoing agitation in Jharkhand, but the opposition fled from debate.

“The opposition is responsible (for the Monsoon session washout). Already, it is evident to the people of this country because even now, HM Amit Shah, our party in the Lok Sabha, both Houses, we have communicated to our opposition that we are ready to answer or we are ready to participate in the discussion on any topic, especially this agitation our opposition was asking for. So why are they not ready to run the house? Because they have this fear psychosis, they can’t answer all the things, and on about what kind of agitation is going on there in Jharkhand also,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Rajiv Rai slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for issuing a statement on the final day of the Monsoon Session, just as the party delayed in engaging with protesting students until after subjecting them to lathi-charges.

“This is the government’s hooliganism and conspiracy. It was only on the last day that the Home Minister remembered he had to make a statement. Just as after keeping students on a hunger strike for 20 days and subjecting them to a lathi-charge, he suddenly remembered he needed to speak to them. This reflects their mindset and intentions,” he said.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “The Home Minister has come today, only to sing ‘Vande Mataram’. The entire session has taken place; neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister attended. How, then, can this democracy and this Parliament function?”

Earlier, during the Rajya Sabha proceedings, a row erupted after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of carrying out a ‘Shuddhikaran’ (purification) ritual of the stage at Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where the latter addressed a rally.

He said, “It pains me to say that I had delivered a speech at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where lakhs of people were present. I did not mention the name of any community or religion there; I only spoke about the problems faced by the people.”

“But after my speech, people associated with the BJP carried out a ‘purification’ ritual of that stage. You may have read about this in the newspapers. Is this the way things should happen in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?” Kharge alleged.

Nadda condemned the alleged incident while asserting that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities. “What Kharge ji has said is truly a matter of concern — not just for the Congress party, but for all of us. Kharge ji has said that those who did this were BJP people. I want to make it absolutely clear that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities,” he said.

This Monsoon Session witnessed back-to-back disruptions within the House and the Parliament complex as the ruling BJP and the Opposition remained locked in an unrelenting political standoff over key legislative, economic, and regional issues. (ANI)