New Delhi: Shortly after the proceedings for the winter session started, both the Houses of the Parliament were adjourned. The Lok Sabha was adjourned amid ruckus, sloganeering and chaos as Opposition parties alleged electoral fraud and wanted to debate over Special Intensive Rivision (SIR) of the electoral rolls during the Zero Hour.
They also shouted slogans “SIR band karo.” Rajya Sabha was also adjourned but after a rather peaceful session amid the short uproar due to Congress president and RS leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government.
Before the adjournment of the lower house, the Lok Sabha passed the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill-2025. As the state is under President’s rule, the bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to replace an ordinance over the issue.
During the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman introduced three bills, besides tabling supplementary demands for grants for 2025-2026. Two bills— Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025—to levy excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products, as well as a new cess on the manufacture of pan masala, were introduced.
Lok Sabha on Monday paved way for election of two members of the House to the council of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. A resolution was moved by the government. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan moved the motion.
The adjournment followed a short uproar due to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s address to the upper house. In his speech, Kharge had accused the government of “continuously trampling Parliamentary decorum and system for past 11 years”. “Instead of addressing issues before Parliament, PM Modi once again made his ‘dramebazi delivery’,” Kharge was quoted as saying by PTI. The NDA MPs caused ruckus in the upper house over this. Kharge’s remarks were rebuked by Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and Health Minister JP Nadda.
Kharge on Monday congratulated Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on taking over as Chairman of the Upper House, while simultaneously voicing the Opposition’s disappointment at not being able to bid farewell to former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar after his abrupt resignation.
Kharge also reminded Radhakrishnan of his early political association with the Congress. He urged him to uphold impartiality, cautioning that any inclination towards favouring the ruling party could prove “dangerous.”
“Kharge ji, you, your LoP in Lok Sabha and your chief whip Jairam Ramesh — the things that you have done, I don’t even want to mention them in the House today. In a democracy, we should respect each other. The matter he has referred to is very unfortunate. I just want to remind the House that you have forgotten the language you used to insult the former Vice President and the former Chairman,” Rijiju said.
The opposition parties have flagged concern about the short duration of winter session. It is set to conclude on December 19, with a total of 15 sittings. TMC MP Derek O’Brien highlighted that the first session used to have at least 25 sittings, if not 30. He highlighted concerns regarding the health of India’s democracy. The 2025 winter session is also the shortest parliament session held under the Modi government, according to reports.
Newly-elected Vice President CP Radhakrishnan took over as the speaker and chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. Radhakrishnan, the former governor of Maharashtra, was elected with a total of 452 votes.
Congress MP KC Venugopal had filed an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha before the session had started. This notice was over the “grave crisis created by the arbitrary and poorly planned Special Intensive Revision imposed by the Election Commission.”
“This exercise has placed unbearable pressure on BLOs, caused multiple deaths, and generated panic and confusion among citizens. Such an uncoordinated and insensitive implementation undermines both public trust and the integrity of our democratic processes,” the notice reads.