Unrelenting protests by opposition parties over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar led to the adjournment of Lok Sabha for the day on Monday, bringing legislative business to a halt for yet another session day.
Since the Monsoon session commenced on July 21, Parliament has witnessed near-total paralysis, with placard-wielding MPs occupying the well of the House and refusing to allow any proceedings to continue. Monday was no exception.
Speaker Om Birla, before adjourning the House during Question Hour, expressed visible disappointment over the sustained disruptions. “You have been elected by lakhs of people to represent their hopes and aspirations and raise their issues. But you are not interested in allowing the House to function smoothly. You are lowering the dignity of the House by systematically obstructing the proceedings and by showing placards,” he said.
“I will give each of you enough time to raise your issues like I did in the past, but please allow the House to run,” Birla appealed. He urged members to approach him with concerns in a structured manner rather than derail proceedings. The House was adjourned till 2 pm soon after, but the turmoil showed no signs of abating.
When the Lok Sabha reconvened post-lunch, protest continued unabated. MPs from the Congress and allied opposition parties took to shouting slogans, demanding a detailed discussion on the Election Commission’s SIR exercise in Bihar, ahead of the crucial state elections due later this year. Many members stood holding placards, prompting repeated warnings from the Chair.
Jagdambika Pal, presiding over the proceedings at the time, made a strong pitch for restoring order, pointing out that not a single bill had been passed in the House since the session began. He reminded members that two important sports bills had been listed for debate on Monday and expressed frustration that the ongoing disruptions were doing grave injustice to the country’s athletes.
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“Not discussing and passing these bills is a disservice to the players,” said Pal, as he attempted to push through the agenda amid din.
Supporting the sentiment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya both urged the opposition to allow the House to proceed, stressing the importance of the listed legislation for Indian sportspersons.
In the midst of the commotion, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary moved a statutory resolution related to customs duty, which was passed by a voice vote, a rare item of business transacted in the otherwise chaotic session.
Pal, evidently exasperated, again chided the opposition for obstructing the functioning of the House for three consecutive weeks. “This is the third week when the House proceedings have been disrupted by sloganeering by opposition members,” he said before announcing the adjournment for the rest of the day.
During the same session, Pal also referred to an incident involving Congress MP R Sudha, whose gold chain was reportedly snatched in Delhi. He informed the House that the Speaker had directed Delhi Police to take strict action in the matter.
While the government has accused the opposition of paralysing Parliament for political ends, the opposition has countered by accusing the Centre of suppressing debate on matters of critical public interest.
The revision of electoral rolls in Bihar has emerged as the latest flashpoint. The opposition has alleged that the process lacks transparency and could potentially disenfranchise large sections of voters. With Bihar scheduled to go to polls later this year, the opposition sees the EC’s move as politically motivated and has demanded a full-fledged debate in Parliament.
But it is not the only issue fuelling disruptions. The first week of the Monsoon session saw opposition parties stalling business over ‘Operation Sindoor’, with demands for a detailed statement from the Home Minister. Now, the focus has shifted to the electoral roll controversy, extending the legislative logjam.
Outside Parliament, sources in the Opposition INDIA bloc indicated that the protests will continue unless the government agrees to an open discussion on the SIR and responds to demands for electoral transparency. The ruling coalition, however, has maintained that legislative business cannot be indefinitely stalled and has accused the opposition of holding governance hostage to theatrics.
As tempers flared within the House and on television screens, another day of the Monsoon session drew to a close without meaningful debate or the passage of critical bills—an increasingly common feature of recent parliamentary functioning.
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