Leaders protesting against SIR in Parliament on July 24, 2025.
India Faces Chaos as Opposition Continues to Disrupt Parliament
New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of India’s Parliament, now in its second week since commencing on July 21, 2025, has been marred by significant disruptions as opposition parties, primarily the INDIA bloc, stage protests, leading to repeated adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Scheduled to run until August 21 with 21 sittings over 32 days, the session has seen limited productivity in its first five days, with adjournments costing an estimated Rs 2.5 lakh per hour of lost time, totalling approximately Rs 22 crore based on official parliamentary productivity data from the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The primary contention revolves around the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of its upcoming assembly elections. On July 25, 2025, the Election Commission, via a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, reported that 99.8% of Bihar’s 7.23 crore electors have been covered, with forms digitised for inclusion in the Draft Electoral Roll to be published on August 1, 2025. The process identified approximately 22 lakh deceased electors, 7 lakh with duplicate registrations, 35 lakh who have permanently migrated or are untraceable, and 1.2 lakh forms yet to be received, with these details shared with 12 recognized political parties—including the Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (Liberation), Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), National People’s Party, and Aam Aadmi Party—on July 20, 2025, for verification and correction. The opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, has protested this process, alleging potential disenfranchisement, and on July 23, 2025, staged a march to the Gandhi statue, displaying placards with messages against SIR, though no physical tearing of placards was officially reported. These actions have disrupted proceedings, with the opposition demanding a discussion, while the Election Commission asserts the SIR, ongoing since June 24, 2025, reflects robust participation and will allow claims and objections from August 1 to September 1, 2025.
Other issues fueling the unrest include the April 12, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed lives, and Operation Sindoor, India’s subsequent counter-terrorism response. On July 21, 2025, the Lok Sabha faced three adjournments, culminating in an early close, as opposition MPs raised slogans despite Speaker Om Birla’s repeated calls for order and the government’s offer to discuss matters post-Question Hour, as noted in Lok Sabha records. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the government’s willingness to engage, but protests continued. In the Rajya Sabha, proceedings were briefly suspended for about 15 minutes on the same day after a verbal exchange between Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the House J.P. Nadda over the day’s agenda, according to Rajya Sabha bulletins. The opposition has also sought clarity on unverified claims by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a ceasefire, though no official confirmation supports this narrative; a 16-hour debate on Operation Sindoor is scheduled for July 28, 2025, as per the Lok Sabha’s announced business.
Additional tensions arise from an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, initiated after a cash recovery probe in March 2025, and the sudden resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, 2025, citing health concerns, as per his official statement to the Rajya Sabha. Opposition leader Imraan Masood suggested possible political undertones, but no evidence has been presented. The Election Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution, appointed the Rajya Sabha Secretary General as Returning Officer for the 2025 Vice-Presidential Election on July 25, 2025, with Garima Jain, Joint Secretary, and Vijay Kumar, Director, as Assistant Returning Officers, following the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and convention, with a Gazette Notification issued separately. As a result, key legislation like the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, faces delays.
Observers say the opposition’s protests appear strategically timed to challenge the government ahead of Bihar’s elections, using voter rights and security concerns to mobilise support, though the Election Commission’s data suggests broad elector engagement. The government’s stance, emphasising dialogue, contrasts with its firm rejection of certain demands, risking a prolonged deadlock. Historical productivity metrics from PRS Legislative Research indicate the Rajya Sabha functioned for 4.4 hours and Lok Sabha for 0.9 hours over the first three days, mirroring past sessions like the 15th Lok Sabha’s 61% and 66% productivity. A meeting of floor managers is slated for next week, but with no consensus yet, the session’s legislative output remains at risk, reflecting broader political polarisation.
– global bihari bureau
