The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday adjourned sine die for the winter session of the Parliament, a week ahead of the schedule. The Winter session of Parliament, which commenced on December 7, was to otherwise end on December 29.
However, a decision was taken in the Business Advisory Committee, chaired by the Speaker of Lok Sabha and comprising representatives of the government and various parties, to curtail the session, reported PTI.
Earlier, the Opposition also demanded early adjournment in view of Christmas and New Year.
According to the agency, before adjourning the Lok Sabha sine die (indefinitely), Speaker Om Birla said the productivity of the House was 97 percent. The House held 13 sittings totaling 62 hours and 42 minutes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi were present in the House.
Speaking in the early adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "It was a unanimous decision to adjourn the winter session ahead of its schedule... I want Rahul Gandhi to continue (Bharat Jodo Yatra). There is a track record that wherever he goes, Congress will be defeated there but I hope he'll follow health guidelines."
The winter session witnessed several adjournments in both Houses every day during the sitting including the very last day. The Opposition kept demanding a discussion on the border situation along the LAC which was denied by the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman on several occasions.
This led to repeated chaos in both Houses interrupting the proceedings many times in a day.
Apart from India-China, the Bihar hooch tragedy, inflation, Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute, and Covid China scare were the issues discussed in Parliament during the winter session. However, the China border contention remained a high point for the Opposition which even staged a walkout a few times.
A verbal fight between Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the BJP over his 'dog' remark also erupted during the sitting after which the saffron party asked for Kharge's apology. However, the Congress president stuck to his statement which made it worse.
Covid Discussion
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Rajya Sabha MPs were seen wearing masks inside the House as the Covid surge in China and other countries triggered an alarm and the government has advised caution.
Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said, "Both the chairs in the Parliament have requested the members to wear face masks during proceedings." He alleged, "The leaders from the Opposition didn't wear masks which shows their attitude towards Covid guidelines."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the situation related to Covid in the country and advised adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour.
This comes as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday asked people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour with immediate effect. The medical body asked people to avoid international travel and wear masks in all public places.
In a statement, the IMA said the situation was not alarming in India and there was no need to panic. "Prevention is better than cure. Therefore, all are advised to take the following necessary steps to overcome the impending Covid outbreak," the IMA said.