The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on Thursday with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die amid repeated disruptions over the NEET issue and police action against protesting students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the productivity of the session remained low, with the Lok Sabha recording only 19% of scheduled work and the Rajya Sabha around 39%. He blamed the Congress for repeatedly disrupting proceedings and expressed disappointment over the quality of debates.
Addressing a press conference after the adjournment of both Houses, Rijiju said the government was willing to hold discussions, but the Opposition repeatedly avoided them. He alleged that the Congress was entirely responsible for creating disruptions in Parliament.
According to Rijiju, 12 Bills were passed during the Monsoon Session, but only one of them was discussed in detail.
The session, which began on July 20, witnessed repeated disruptions from the beginning. Opposition parties initially demanded discussions on the NEET question paper leak and donations related to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Later, protests focused on alleged police action against students demonstrating over the NEET issue.
The Opposition also demanded statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The government made attempts on Monday and Wednesday to initiate a debate on the NEET issue to break the deadlock. However, the efforts failed after the Congress rejected the proposed format of the discussion.
Rahul Gandhi Questions Police Action
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition wanted answers specifically on the police action against protesting students and was not interested in hearing speeches from the Home Minister.
Gandhi questioned who had ordered the use of pellet guns against protesting students. He argued that if Amit Shah had authorised such action, he would be responsible, while if he had not, it would raise questions about his competence as Home Minister.
The session ended without a resolution to the political deadlock, with both Houses being adjourned sine die.