Parliament’s Winter Session opened on Monday amid loud confrontations, with the Lok Sabha initially being adjourned twice within the first hour and then for the entire day as Opposition MPs stormed the Well demanding an immediate discussion on alleged electoral fraud and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
The House first met at 11 am but was suspended within minutes. When it reconvened at noon, protests escalated further, forcing another adjournment till 2 pm. However, when opposition protests demanding a discussion on SIR continued even after 2 pm, the Chair decided to adjourn the Lower House for the day.
Before the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 11 am Tuesday, the House managed to pass the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill-2025 to replace an Ordinance on the same. Further, the Union government sought the Lok Sabha nod for net additional spending of Rs 41,455 crore in the current fiscal, before the proceedings were suspended for the day. Amid the din, Opposition MPs repeatedly shouted “Vote chor, gaddi chhor!”, waved placards, and accused the government of “using SIR to delete genuine voters”.
Proceedings, meanwhile, continued in the Rajya Sabha till evening before the Opposition staged a walkout.
Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha over SIR
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central government is open to discussing the SIR and other electoral reforms, adding that the Opposition’s demand for a debate is under consideration. The minister urged the Opposition not to impose a timeline for the same. TMC’s Derek O’Brien earlier urged the Rajya Sabha Chairman to allow a debate on electoral roll revision.
Meanwhile, the Opposition staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha over the SIR issue and the House was later adjourned till tomorrow.
Nadda slams Opposition in RS
Meanwhile, proceedings continued in the Rajya Sabha and Union Minister JP Nadda congratulated newly-elected Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who today assumed charge of the Chair of the Upper House.
“When you became the Governor of Maharashtra, you visited each and every district of Maharashtra; you did the same in Jharkhand. This shows your commitment to the society and the states’ welfare. PM Modi nominated you for the post of the Vice President and we all voted for you. We have complete faith in you and under your leadership, we are confident that you will conduct the proceedings of the upper House of the largest democracy very well…”
In the same breath, Nadda also hit out at the Opposition over its repeated protests and said, “I will repeat the lines of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan – in the House, we should behave as responsible members of the Parliament and not irresponsible professional agitators in the House.”
On his part, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan urged House members to uphold the Constitution and follow established norms, emphasising the “Laxman Rekha” of parliamentary conduct. “As members of the Upper House, our dharma is to work with commitment to fulfil people’s rightful aspirations,” the Chairman said.
Before the uproar: Bills introduced, reports tabled
The Lok Sabha did manage to transact a small amount of legislative business before the protests swelled.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Health Security & National Security Cess Bill, 2025 and the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
- She also presented the Supplementary Demands for Grants (First Batch) for 2025–26.
- Two key Standing Committee reports were tabled; one on the rise in medicine prices, and another on India’s fertiliser self-reliance roadmap.
- A motion was moved to elect two Lok Sabha MPs to the Council of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
- Committees examining the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill and the Jan Vishwas Amendment of Provisions Bill received deadline extensions.
TMC MP Saugata Roy strongly opposed the new Cess Bill, calling it an “extra tax burden on the aam aadmi”.
PM Modi’s message to MPs: ‘Policy, not slogans’
Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged MPs to keep debates constructive and avoid theatrics, saying Parliament must reflect the country’s priorities.
“Negativity may be useful in politics. But ultimately, there should be some positive thinking for nation-building. I expect you to keep negativity within limits.”
He said the session has added importance with the newly appointed Rajya Sabha Chairman presiding over the Upper House.
Striking a firm tone, he added:
“Whoever wants to do drama can do it. There should be delivery here and not drama… the emphasis should be on policy, not slogans.”
On the Opposition’s conduct after recent electoral setbacks, especially Bihar, he said the “panic of defeat” should not overpower Parliamentary debate.
The Prime Minister also emphasised giving younger and first-time MPs more opportunities to speak, saying disruptions prevent them from presenting constituency issues.
Meanwhile, INDIA bloc floor leaders met at the office of Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise their coordination strategy for the session.
Rajya Sabha welcomes new Chairman CP Radhakrishnan
In the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Modi and several MPs welcomed the new Chairman, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan.
The Prime Minister praised his political journey and assured him that MPs would uphold the dignity of the House.
“This is a moment of pride… under your guidance, we will take important decisions. I am confident all MPs will maintain the dignity of the Upper House.”
Radhakrishnan was recently elected as India’s 15th Vice President, defeating Opposition candidate and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy.
Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also congratulated him, while noting that the House had not been given an opportunity to formally bid farewell to his predecessor.