Bills Passed, Security Breach, Mass Suspensions — Parliament Winter Session So Far

New Delhi: The ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament has been packed with thrills and spills, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sittings marked by uproar. While the last many sessions were disrupted by ruckus over myriad issues, with the Treasury standing its ground and the Opposition resorting to a game of brinkmanship, the unprecedented security breach of the Parliament and the ensuing political bickering has seen ties between the two sets of members hit a new low.

Demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the breach, the Opposition members held both Houses to ransom, which led to the ouster of as many as 143 MPs. And, as if that wasn’t enough, suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee drew the spotlight for all the wrong reasons with an impersonation of Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on the steps of the Parliament complex.

However, regardless of the many forgettable moments, the Winter Session was also witness to the historic passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bills that are aimed at laying the groundwork for the restoration of full statehood to the UT and the holding of Assembly elections. The passage of the draft legislations came close on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court ruling, upholding the sanctity of the Centre’s decision to revoke the special constitutional privileges under Article 370 from the erstwhile state.

Legislative Bills Passed

• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, seeking to amend the Central Universities Act of 2009 and establish the Central Tribal University in Telangana was passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The Appropriation Bill tabled by the Finance Ministry was passed in both Houses of Parliament.
• The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to reserve one-third of all elected seats in Puducherry Legislative Assembly for women, was passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, was passed in both Houses during the ongoing Winter Session. It introduces provisions for seat reservation for women in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, and lays the groundwork for the restoration of full statehood and holding of Assembly polls.
• The Parliament passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
• The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 was passed in Parliament.
• The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 was passed in both Houses of Parliament.
• The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to extend the upper age limit of GST Appellate tribunal Chairman to 67 years from 65 years and allows advocates with 10 years of experience to be eligible to be a member was passed in Parliament.
• The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 was passed in the Parliament.
• The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023, seeking to replace IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act was passed in Lok Sabha. It is yet to be tabled in Rajya Sabha.

Parliament Security Breach

In a major security lapse, two persons jumped down from the visitors’ gallery with smoke cannisters in Lok Sabha. The parliamentarians were quick to react as they caught hold of the duo, thrashed them before handing them over to the security personnel. Around the same time, two others were seen protesting with smoke cannisters and shouting slogans against the government outside the Parliament premises. The incident happened on December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack.

Delhi Police arrested the accused identified as Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Amol Shinde, Neelam Devi, Vishal, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat.

READ | Amid Empty Oppn Benches, Lok Sabha Passes Bills To Overhaul Criminal Laws

Suspension Of Opposition MPs

A total of 143 MPs, both from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were suspended for disrupting the House proceedings. The ouster came after Opposition members’ protests, seeking a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach, rocked the Parliament. As many as 97 members from the Lok Sabha and 46 members from the Rajya Sabha were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session.

The largescale suspension drew severe criticism from the Opposition leaders who termed the action as a “mockery of democracy”. The BJP countered saying the Opposition members “keep raising questions and display strange behaviour” which creates a ruckus in the House.

Mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman

Amid the Opposition protests seeking a statement from PM Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah on the security breach and the subsequent mass suspensions of MPs, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee courted controversy for trying to mock Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by mimicking his mannerisms. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also seen shooting the act.