Staff Reporter / New Delhi
The four-week Monsoon Session of Parliament came to an end on a bitter note on Thursday with the INDIA bloc claiming a “moral victory” over the NDA government after it failed to concede the Opposition’s demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the alleged police attack on students and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For the first time in nearly 12 years, the session ended without a substantive debate or discussion on several major issues, even as the government pushed through key economic legislation amid repeated disruptions.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi led the Opposition offensive from the front, with the INDIA bloc largely closing ranks behind him. The Opposition maintained sustained pressure on the government, turning the students’ issue into the central flashpoint of the session.
The government made a late attempt to break the deadlock by offering a structured debate on the students’ issue towards the fag end of the session. The move, however, failed to satisfy the Opposition, which continued to press for the Home Minister’s statement and the Prime Minister’s apology.
The deepening acrimony spilled beyond the floor of the House. Relations between the Opposition and the treasury benches remained strained throughout the session, with Opposition leaders even refusing to attend the traditional tea party hosted by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
In an unusual end to the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were present in the Lok Sabha for the customary sine die proceedings. However, both were absent from the Rajya Sabha when the Upper House concluded its proceedings, adding to the unusually charged atmosphere surrounding the end of the session.