The Winter Session of Parliament was marked by disruptions on Monday as both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned due to protests by opposition parties. The Lok Sabha session, which began at noon, was adjourned for the day just minutes after proceedings started. The session will now reconvene on Wednesday, November 27, with no meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 26, due to Constitution Day.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla initially adjourned the House for an hour after paying tributes to deceased members, including two MPs who won the parliamentary elections this year. However, when the session resumed, opposition members began protesting over the Adani bribery allegations and the ongoing violence in Manipur, leading to the session’s adjournment for the day.
The Adani Group has been embroiled in a major controversy after US prosecutors indicted Gautam Adani and seven others for their alleged involvement in a $265 million bribery scheme to secure power-supply deals in India. The Adani Group has strongly denied the accusations, calling them baseless. Opposition parties, including Congress, have been vocal in demanding a detailed discussion on the matter.
Opposition members also sought a debate on the violence in Manipur, which has been a point of concern for several months. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a statement on X, emphasized the need for Parliament to address the “Adani saga” that he believes could tarnish India’s global image. He argued for a healthy, competitive private sector that provides equal opportunities, employment, and fair wealth distribution.
In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking earlier, criticized opposition MPs, stating that those who had been rejected multiple times by the public were obstructing discussions in Parliament. He expressed hope that new members from every party would get the opportunity to share their views in the Winter Session.
Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, the opposition MPs also raised their voices over the bribery allegations involving the Adani Group. Similar to the Lok Sabha, the upper house was adjourned for the day following a heated protest. The Rajya Sabha will reconvene on Wednesday.
The Winter Session of Parliament will resume on Wednesday, after a day of adjournment, with the government’s focus expected to be on addressing the ongoing issues surrounding the Adani controversy and the situation in Manipur.
