The Winter Session of Parliament opened on Monday, but the mood in the Lok Sabha turned stormy almost instantly. What began as a solemn morning of tributes quickly slipped into loud protests forcing the House to shut down within minutes.
It was 11 am when the Lok Sabha assembled. Before anything else, Speaker Om Birla asked members to stand and honour five former MPs who recently passed away. The list included Col. Sonaram Choudhary, Congress MP from Barmer; former BJP MP and Bollywood legend Dharmendra; Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra; Prakash Jaiswal; and Ravi Kumar Naik from Goa.
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The mention of Dharmendra drew a warm, emotional moment. Birla praised him as an “evergreen icon” who lit up Indian cinema for decades and later served the nation in Parliament. He said the actor’s legacy would live on in both worlds; films and public service.
The House also paused to cheer Indian athletes who have been making the country proud with victories around the globe. But that brief calm didn’t last long.
Protest takes over
Just as the Speaker appealed for discipline, asking MPs to remember that Parliament is “the temple of the world’s largest democracy,” the opposition benches erupted.
Members raised slogans, waved placards and demanded a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise happening across 12 states and union territories.
Birla urged them to stop disrupting proceedings, saying Question Hour was being derailed “in a planned manner” every session. He reminded them that debates, not disruptions, were their real responsibility.
But the shouting only grew louder.
A fleeting moment of work
Before the chaos completely swallowed the House, one moment of actual business managed to slip through. BJP MP Anurag Sharma from Jhansi-Lalitpur asked detailed questions about the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project.
He pressed for updates on the Environmental Impact Assessment, its impact on biodiversity, forest cover, and water resources. He also sought information on compensatory afforestation, rehabilitation and monitoring efforts.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav answered briefly, saying Sharma should take the finer, state-specific issues to the Uttar Pradesh government.
House forced to shut
With no sign of calm, the Speaker warned he would adjourn the session. The protests continued leaving him with no choice but to halt proceedings till noon.