Winter Session Begins With Disruptions, Both Houses Adjourned Amid Opposition’s Ruckus Over ‘Modani’ Scam

“The Modani issue rocked both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today. INDIA parties called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Modani scam – the case for which has been reinforced by the recent indictments of Adani’s bribery and supression of information from Indian and American regulators. Both Houses got adjourned for the day,” Congress MP, Jairam Ramesh, wrote on X.

In the Lok Sabha after Speaker Om Birla read out obituary references, the members had observed a moment of silence to honor the departed souls before the protest and subsequent adjournment.

PM’s jibe at the Opposition ahead of Parliament session

Ahead of the four-week Parliament Winter Session which commenced on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Opposition, stating that some resort to hooliganism to control Parliament even after being rejected by people in the elections.

In an indirect reference to the Congress’s debacle in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, the PM said public must “reject them again and again.” He urged the Opposition to pay respect to the people’s sentiment and uphold democratic values. He stressed upon the importance of responsible conduct in Parliament.

“The public has to reject them again and again…It is a condition of democracy that we respect the feelings of the people and work hard day and night to live up to their expectation,” he said.

The Prime Minister also emphasized that India’s global image is also based on the effective use of Parliament’s time. Mentioning the outcome of assembly elections and by polls, the PM said, “The results of state elections have added to the strength of the popular mandate seen in the Lok Sabha elections.”

The Prime Minister also hoped that the winter session would be productive, and it would boost India’s global standing.

“The voters of India are dedicated to democracy, their dedication to the Constitution, their faith in the parliamentary working system, all of us sitting in the Parliament will have to live up to the sentiments of the people,” he said, adding that such a behavior and conduct is the need of the hour.

“We should highlight various aspects of every subject in a very healthy manner in the House. The coming generations will also get inspiration from it,” he added.

What are the bills listed for this session?

The Winter Session of Parliament is expected to take up key bills, including the Waqf Act (Amendment) Bill.  There are at least 16 more Bills listed for the session.  The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will see discussion and voting on the First Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2024-25; the Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill to enhance the pecuniary (defined as the monetary value of a case) appellate jurisdiction of Delhi district courts from the existing Rs 3 lakh to Rs 20 lakh; Merchant Shipping Bill that seeks to ensure compliance with India’s obligation under maritime treaties to which New Delhi is a party; the Coastal Shipping Bill; and the Indian Ports Bill.