New Delhi: The winter session of the parliament concluded on Friday, December 20, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die, marking the end of a tumultuous period characterised by vehement protests, accusations of assault, and a legislative push for simultaneous elections.
The final day was overshadowed by the fallout from Thursday’s face off between ruling NDA and opposition INDIA bloc members, with an FIR lodged against leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, even as a key bill was advanced.
JPC for ONOE
The session’s final hours saw the Lok Sabha swiftly approve a resolution to refer the ‘One Nation, One Election’ constitutional amendment bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The JPC, comprised of 39 members – 27 from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha – is tasked with reviewing the legislation that seeks to synchronise Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. The motion, moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, was passed amidst din in the House, with 269 members voting in favour and 198 against. The committee is expected to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the next session.
Despite the legislative progress on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, opposition leaders like Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin have termed it “anti-democratic” and said it will “erase regional voices.” However, BJP MPs like Kangana Ranaut have hailed the bill as a necessary step for the nation, emphasising its potential to save public money and increase voter turnout.
Speaker Om Birla, while adjourning the House, emphasised the collective responsibility to maintain the dignity of parliament, stating protests at entrances were inappropriate and that violations would be met with action.
The adjournment came on the heels of a day marked by intense political acrimony and physical confrontation. The previous day saw a face-off between NDA and INDIA bloc MPs in parliament premises, sparked by Union home minister Amit Shah’s remarks about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The INDIA bloc, led by Rahul Gandhi, protested, demanding Shah’s resignation, while NDA members, in turn, accused the Congress of disrespecting Ambedkar. The protests escalated into a scuffle and BJP claimed its MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured.
SP MP Jaya Bachchan, offering a first-hand account of the previous day’s events, described the face-off as “a man-made, created incident,” asserting that MPs were “stopping people from going up the steps” and “pushing and jostling” – which she personally witnessed. Both MPs were hospitalised, and several BJP leaders made a beeline to visit them. Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Gandhi of “goon-like” behaviour for his actions during the protest.
The BJP further escalated the matter by filing an FIR against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street police station, accusing him of “assault and incitement.”
‘FIR a diversionary tactic’
In response, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condemned the BJP’s actions as “false” and “baseless,” and accused the government of being “desperate”. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray, reacting to the FIR against Rahul Gandhi, dismissed it as a “diversionary tactic,” asserting that neither Gandhi nor any of his allies were ‘scared,’ and reiterated the demand for the Union home minister’s resignation for allegedly insulting Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, echoing the sentiment of other opposition figures, dismissed the FIR against Rahul Gandhi as a “meaningless” action and “a conspiracy to divert” attention from Amit Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar, asserting that the “public is not blind” to the BJP’s “mentality” and would not tolerate “the insult” to Ambedkar.
Meanwhile, Congress MPs also approached Parliament Street Police, lodging a counter-complaint, accusing BJP leaders of misbehaving with Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge during the scuffle.
‘Ambedkar’ resonates
The issue of the home minister’s remarks on Ambedkar continued to resonate throughout the day.
Multiple adjournment motions were moved by Congress MPs K. Suresh and Manickam Tagore, demanding an apology and resignation from Shah. The Congress asserted that Shah’s comments, which suggested that Congress leaders would have been better served by invoking God’s name rather than repeatedly referencing Ambedkar, were deeply disrespectful and belittled Ambedkar’s contributions to the nation. SP MPs Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav also demanded an apology for the remarks. BSP chief Mayawati urged Shah to take back his remarks and expressed her hurt over this.
The heated exchange on Thursday also spilled over into Friday, with both sides holding parallel protests outside parliament.
Union minister Giriraj Singh called Rahul Gandhi “a liar,” alleging that the leader of opposition created “hooliganism” by pushing Pratap Sarangi, while parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju expressed outrage over Gandhi’s conduct, stating that BJP MPs were deeply agitated by his actions. BJP MP Anurag Thakur lambasted Rahul Gandhi for violating rules and showing “arrogance”, while his fellow BJP MP Arun Govil said that the scuffle was tarnishing the image of parliament and that “opposition needs a lot of restraint.”
Another BJP MP, C.P. Joshi, labeled the events of the previous day as an “insult to democracy.”
INDIA bloc MPs, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and others, held a protest march from Vijay Chowk to parliament, reiterating their demand for Shah’s resignation. Congress MP Kumari Selja stated that BJP tried to stop Congress MPs from entering parliament despite clear instructions by the Speaker, and accused BJP of trying to divert attention from the issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in particular, accused the government of being scared to discuss the Adani matter and stated that the central government lodged “baseless FIRs” out of desperation.
