The Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on Thursday after 19 scheduled sittings marked by repeated disruptions, stalled Question Hour and the passage of 11 Bills in the Lok Sabha.
The final sitting began amid slogans from Opposition MPs demanding accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action against students protesting in Delhi on July 20. The Treasury benches responded with counter-slogans.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi then entered the House as members stood for the rendition of Vande Mataram. Soon after, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House sine die.
The session began on July 20 with 28 Bills listed as pending. By its conclusion, the Lok Sabha had passed 11 Bills, although several were cleared after only a few minutes of discussion and amid Opposition protests.
The MSME Development Amendment Bill and the Taxation and Other Laws Amendment Bill each took about three minutes. The Registration of Births and Deaths Amendment Bill, Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill and Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill took four minutes each.
The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill and Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill were passed after around five minutes of discussion, while the Tribunals Reforms Bill took 12 minutes. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment Bill saw about 14 minutes of discussion.
In contrast, the Public Examination law received around 11 hours of debate, making it one of the more extensively discussed legislations of the session.
Key Bills passed during the session included:
- Public Examination law — around 11 hours of debate
- MSME Development Amendment Bill — about 3 minutes
- Taxation and Other Laws Amendment Bill — about 3 minutes
- Registration of Births and Deaths Amendment Bill — about 4 minutes
- Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill — about 4 minutes
- Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill — about 4 minutes
- Bankers' Books Evidence Bill — about 5 minutes
- Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill — about 5 minutes
- Tribunals Reforms Bill — about 12 minutes
- Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment Bill — about 14 minutes
Also read: Lok Sabha adjourned sine die
Several of these Bills were passed by voice vote amid Opposition sloganeering, sharply limiting the scope for detailed debate. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill was also cleared by the Rajya Sabha on the final day.
Repeated disruptions also affected Parliament's question-and-answer mechanism. By August 10, the Lok Sabha had failed to complete Question Hour for three consecutive weeks, with the day marking the 16th occasion during the session when it could not be completed.
The Opposition had sought discussions on several issues, including the NEET-UG controversy, allegations surrounding donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and, in the final days, the police action against protesting students.
The government maintained that it was willing to discuss the students' issue. On Wednesday, Shah offered to participate in a debate and respond to Opposition questions. The Opposition, however, continued to demand his resignation, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi holding the Home Ministry responsible for the police action.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday that Lok Sabha productivity stood at 19 per cent, while Rajya Sabha productivity was 39 per cent.
The session also showed that contentious legislation need not always be rushed through. The FCRA Amendment Bill, which triggered sharp Opposition criticism, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The move allows MPs and stakeholders more time to examine its provisions before it returns to Parliament for further consideration.
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