A tumultuous Monsoon session of Parliament, which saw the approval of the Union Budget and also a spat between Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan, concluded on Friday.
An aggressive Opposition sought to corner the National Democratic Alliance government on issues ranging from the alleged overlooking of the middle class in the Union Budget, the controversial order of the Uttar Pradesh government asking stall owners along the route of the Kanwar Yatra to display their names, and the introduction of Waqf (Amendment) Bill which was referred to a joint committee.
After a public outrage over withdrawal of indexation benefits on the Long Term Capital Gains tax in the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman softened the blow by introducing flexibility in taxation.
The disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the Olympics after being found overweight before the final bout also saw the government and Opposition come to blows in Parliament.
Opposition INDIA bloc members sought a discussion in Parliament and staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha when the demand, raised by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, was rejected.
Uneasy relations between the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Opposition parties on Friday came to a head-on leading to a heated exchange with Bachchan, after which Opposition parties walked out.
The actor-turned-politician objected to the "tone" in which Dhankhar addressed her as well as to the switching-off of the microphone of the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Chairman said he can't be "schooled" and that Bachchan "may be anybody... a celebrity" but she has to observe decorum in the House.
As Dhankhar refused to allow her or anyone from the opposition to speak, INDIA bloc parties staged a walkout, which was slammed both by the Chair and the treasury benches.
Dhankhar remarked that the Opposition believed they were the "only ones whose hearts are bleeding" after Phogat's shocking exit from the Olympics.
"The entire nation is in pain... But to politicise it is the greatest disrespect to her (Phogat)," he added.
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had 15 sittings each from July 22 till August 9. The session was originally scheduled to end on August 12.
"The productivity of Lok Sabha during the Budget Session was approximately 136 percent and that of Rajya Sabha was approximately 118 percent," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters in New Delhi.
During this session, the House passed several key pieces of legislation, including the Finance Bill, 2024, and the Appropriation Bill, 2024 -- both crucial for the Union budget.
Additionally, the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2024, and the Indian Aircraft Bill, 2024, were among the four Bills passed.
The session also witnessed the introduction of a Bill to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, which was subsequently referred to a joint committee of Parliament amid protests from opposition members over its provisions.
The Lok Sabha passed The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak that seeks to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act.
The election to the post of Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is yet to take place. The post had remained vacant in the previous Lok Sabha.
