The Parliament Winter Session, which commenced on 25 November, has been plagued by disruptions over allegations exchanged between the Modi government and the Opposition. Last week, proceedings ran smoothly for only two days, with protests derailing the remaining sessions.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Congress of colluding with foreign interests, while the Opposition’s INDIA bloc demands accountability over bribery allegations against industrialist Gautam Adani.
Parliament Winter Session: Uproar In Lok Sabha After Kiren Rijiju's Accusations Against Congress
On Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Congress of collaborating with US billionaire George Soros and anti-India forces, triggering uproar in the Lok Sabha. Rijiju also criticised Congress leaders for wearing masks and jackets with caricatures, accusing them of disrupting parliamentary dignity. This led to chaos during Zero Hour and eventually caused the House to be adjourned for the day.
Rijiju claimed their protests were not only disrupting proceedings but also preventing other members from raising constituency-related issues.
As Rijiju made his remarks, opposition members entered the Well, intensifying the uproar. Earlier, BJP member Dilip Saikia, presiding over the session, had permitted the laying of parliamentary papers and reports on the table of the House.
Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also introduced the Merchant Shipping Bill amid objections from Congress MP Manish Tewari and Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Ray.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed disappointment over repeated disruptions in the House. "Ours is the largest democracy in the world, and it fulfils the hopes and aspirations of the people. We all have to maintain the dignity of the House," he said, urging members to uphold the sanctity of parliamentary proceedings, as per news agency PTI.
Birla further called for both sides to engage in dialogue to resolve their differences, emphasising the importance of Question Hour. However, his appeals were ignored, prompting the adjournment of the House until noon and subsequently for the rest of the day.
Parliament Winter Session: INDIA's No-Confidence Motion Against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar
In a first, parties of the INDIA opposition bloc submitted a notice to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, requesting a motion to remove Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. The opposition parties accuse Dhankhar of partisan conduct as the chairman of the Upper House. If the motion is passed, the opposition parties will need a simple majority of 122 votes out of the 243-member House. However, they currently lack the requisite numbers.
Despite this, opposition members view this move as a strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy. On behalf of the opposition, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain presented the notice, signed by 60 opposition MPs from various parties, including the Congress, RJD, TMC, CPI, CPI-M, JMM, AAP, DMK, and Samajwadi Party, to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody.
This is the first time a notice for removing the Vice President has been submitted in the Rajya Sabha. A 14-day notice period must be followed, and the motion must be approved by the Deputy Chairman before it can be taken up for discussion. Notably, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and the floor leaders of several opposition parties are not among the signatories to the notice, PTI reported citing sources.
In contrast, similar notices for removing the Speaker of Lok Sabha have been submitted in the past, but none have targeted the Vice President or the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The present motion, spearheaded by the Congress, comes in the wake of verbal clashes between opposition parties and the Rajya Sabha chairman.
The opposition has been upset with Dhankhar over multiple issues. The latest trigger was allowing BJP members to raise allegations of links between Congress leaders and organisations backed by billionaire investor George Soros, which the ruling party claims are involved in anti-India activities.
Parliament Winter Session: Verbal Clash In Rajya Sabha Over BJP's Soros-Congress Allegations
Noisy protests also erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday as treasury and opposition benches clashed over allegations of links between Congress and billionaire investor George Soros, as well as issues surrounding the Adani Group. The uproar led to the adjournment of the House.
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda triggered the uproar when he raised the issue of alleged links between the Congress leadership and organisations funded by George Soros, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the country. Without naming Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was present in the House, Nadda said, "To be associated with such organisations and to lead such organisations ... co-chaired by the Congress leadership shows that it is a big threat for the internal and external security of the nation."
He claimed that the Organised Crime Corruption and Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Forum of Democratic Leaders of Asia Pacific (FDL-AP), co-chaired by senior Congress leaders, were part of a conspiracy funded by Soros. "People have never forgiven those who work with foreign forces to destabilise the country," he added, while emphasising that the BJP stood with the common people on the issue of national security.
Congress Deputy Leader of the House Pramod Tiwari rejected Nadda’s claims, demanding a discussion on the Adani issue instead. He alleged that the Adani Group had paid ₹23,000 crore in bribes, referring to allegations reportedly taken cognisance of by a US court.
"Whatever they are saying has no basis. A (US) court has taken cognisance of ₹23,000 crore bribes (that were paid by the Adani Group)...," Tiwari stated.
The opposition benches raised slogans against the BJP, while treasury members demanded answers from Congress about their alleged links to Soros.
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva intervened, citing Rule 238(2), which restrains members from making personal charges against others. Siva demanded that Nadda's remarks about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, be expunged.
In response, Nadda clarified, "I have mentioned the name of the office and not that of any particular person."
Amid the chaos, sloganeering grew louder from both sides, prompting Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to adjourn the House for the day.
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Parliament Winter Session: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Accuses Modi Govt Of Diversion Tactics
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of deliberately stalling parliamentary proceedings to avoid discussing the Adani issue. Speaking to reporters, she alleged, "The government is scared of discussing the Adani issue as they know that all issues will be out in the open."
Referring to allegations in a US court against the Adani group, she stated, "It has been said in the US that they (Adani) have given crores in bribe to increase the electricity bill of the people and make profit."
Priyanka Gandhi dismissed the BJP's claims of opposition links with George Soros, calling them "the most ridiculous thing they could come up with." She argued that these accusations were a diversionary tactic to avoid addressing the Adani controversy.
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal called on the opposition to apologise for their behaviour. He urged members to ensure that parliamentary proceedings reflect a "positive message" to the country.
The continued stalemate has raised concerns about the effective functioning of the House.