Din, disruptions and a dozen bills: Monsoon Session comes to a close

Parliament's 25-day monsoon session concluded in discord on Thursday, adjourned sine die after nearly a month of frequent disruptions. The Lok Sabha failed to complete a single Question Hour, while the Rajya Sabha logged 37.4 hours of work compared to the Lok Sabha's 17.5 hours. Disruptions arose from a police crackdown on students protesting against the leak of the NEET-UG 2026 paper on July 20, prompting Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, and allegations of theft at Ayodhya's Ram temple.

The session witnessed the national song Vande Mataram being sung in all six stanzas, after which Speaker Om Birla adjourned both Houses sine die, bypassing the customary valedictory address. The Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress boycotted the meeting with Birla. The Rajya Sabha's Chairman expressed deep concern over the disruptions.

With the session concluding, the Lok Sabha had managed 17.5 hours of proceedings, while the Rajya Sabha logged 37.4 hours. The Opposition demanded a debate and statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the student protest crackdown, which the Centre resisted. Despite disruptions, both Houses managed to pass several bills, including the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, and the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill.