New Delhi: The 2025 Winter Session of Parliament entered its 8th day on Wednesday with two key debates dominating the agenda: proposed electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha and a cultural-ideological discussion over the national song Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha. The winter session will conclude on December 19. Here’s who said what in the Parliament on Wednesday:
“Vote chori is anti-national”
On Wednesday, Lok Sabha members debated on electoral reform proposals, spanning topics such as the independence of the Election Commission of India (EC), campaign financing, voting mechanisms and what the government describes as the roadmap for increased transparency. Speaking during the debate, Congress MP KC Venugopal, as quoted by Hindustan Times, said the alleged ‘vote chori’ was an “anti-national act”. He also accused the EC of being politically compromised. Instead of preventing ‘vote chori’, he alleged the EC was ‘enabling it.’ “The idea of an impartial electoral umpire has been openly crushed. The Election Commission has now collapsed under political pressure and has become partisan,” he said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Ravi Shankar refers to Emergency to hit back
In response, Ravi Shankar Prasad of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back strongly. He referenced past constitutional crises — including the Emergency — and questioned the opposition’s moral ground. He pointed out that during the Emergency, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court was superseded and invoked this to criticize Congress, accusing them of undermining institutions.
“I was listening to Rahul Gandhi yesterday. Today, I also heard KC Venugopal, and they were saying that we compromise institutions… I want to ask who made a joke of the President of India? Former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was forced to sign the paper on the ‘Emergency’. Who superseded the judge of the Supreme Court? HR Khanna said that even during the Emergency, we will not compromise with the right of the citizens and hence, Congress didn’t let him be the CJI even for a month…,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said, as quoted by PTI.
‘BJP will rule for 10 to 15 more years’
Slamming Congress, Prasad went on to claim that BJP would rule for ‘10-5 years’ more due to “work”. He also asked in Lok Sabha if Congress wanted to ‘keep infiltrators in the electoral rolls?’ reported HT.
Focus on IndiGo crisis: ‘Why DGCA officials not been held accountable?’
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi asked why DGCA officials were not being held accountable for IndiGo crisis.
“It is absolutely unconvincing and unsatisfying because people have been repeatedly pointing out the problems passengers were facing and how a monopoly was being created. A private operator will naturally try to increase its market share, act arbitrarily, and maximise its profit… While this monopoly was forming, what were the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Competition Commission doing?… Why were DGCA officials not held accountable?… So, it clearly shows that this was a matter of corruption and collusion,” she told PTI, as reported by HT.
BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi over Germany visit: ‘LoP means Leader of Paryatan’
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi attacked Rahul Gandhi over his Germany visit. “Rahul Gandhi claims he doesn’t get an opportunity to speak, but he is usually out of India. Even during the Bihar elections, he was travelling abroad. He is a part-time, non-serious leader,” he said, as quoted by HT. “Rahul Gandhi has once again proved that LOP means leader of ‘paryatan’ (tourism)… even when Parliament is in session until the 19th, he is going abroad. So his priorities are clear,” BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala told ANI. Congress has responded to the attack on LoP. Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan asked the BJP if all issues in the country been “resolved”?
“Parliament session is going on, yet the Prime Minister seems unconcerned about the pollution spreading across the country or about electoral reforms. They are talking about the 150-year-old Vande Mataram, but there is no concern about youth unemployment. Whose issues are they addressing? Where is Rahul Gandhi going? It makes me laugh,” she told PTI, reported HT.
Rajya Sabha debates on ‘Vande Mataram’, Jairam Ramesh’s ‘distorian’ jibe
In Rajya Sabha, the discussion on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram continued. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh called the ruling party ‘distorians’ while debating on Vande Mataram. “The Prime Minister, Home Minister and others who spoke from that side proved that they wanted to be historians, but turned out to be distorians,” Ramesh said, as quoted by HT.