NEW DELHI: The final day of Parliament’s winter session was marked by intense protests as INDIA bloc members marched from Vijay Chowk to Parliament on Friday, demanding Union home minister Amit Shah’s resignation and apology for his comments about Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Both houses of Parliament were subsequently adjourned Sine Die amidst continuing protests.
This comes a day after altercation at Parliament, where BJP and Congress MPs clashed at the new building’s entrance. BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput suffered head injuries, with allegations that Rahul Gandhi pushed through BJP members at Makar Dwar.
Both parties filed complaints, leading the Lok Sabha Speaker to ban demonstrations at Parliament gates.
Starting from November 15, the winter session addressed numerous significant matters. Notable events included a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, constitutional debates, and frequent disagreements between government and opposition members.
Opposition members persistently sought discussions regarding alleged Adani Group bribery accusations, whilst BJP members responded with claims of a “Soros-Gandhi nexus”. The no-confidence motion against Dhankhar was rejected due to procedural issues, including insufficient notice and document errors.
The ‘One Nation, One Election‘ legislation, proposing concurrent Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, emerged as a crucial topic. Despite opposition from various parties citing concerns about federal principles, the bill was referred to a JPC for thorough examination.
Following the Constitution debate, tensions heightened when Amit Shah’s Rajya Sabha remarks about Ambedkar sparked opposition protests, who considered them disrespectful. BJP members claimed Congress distributed an inaccurate version of Shah’s speech.
On Wednesday, the situation turned physical with BJP alleging Rahul Gandhi pushed two MPs, who required hospitalisation. Gandhi rejected these claims and demanded Shah’s resignation, suggesting BJP was creating diversions from the Adani issue.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, claiming injury, challenged Shah’s statements about Nehru and Ambedkar. He stated, “If I had the chance to speak in Parliament, I would have countered his lies.” Kharge suggested BJP’s actions aimed to suppress queries about Adani Group’s alleged financial irregularities, noting, “We protested outside Parliament for 14 days to highlight the loot by Adani.