Stormy start to Parliament: Centre, oppn face-off on Day 1 of Monsoon session; key takeaways

Time of India

5 days ago

NEW DELHI: Parliament witnessed a major face-off between the Centre and opposition on Monday during the first day of the Monsoon session, with opposition MPs demanding discussion on US President Donald Trump's claims about
.
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The day's proceedings were marked by intense sloganeering and heated exchanges, particularly over Trump's claim that he had brokered a peace deal between India and Pakistan.
The Lower House was adjourned twice within an hour, while the Rajya Sabha saw an intense exchange between Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP president JP Nadda.
Here are the top developments of day 1 of Monsoon Session:
Adjournment motions
Even before the proceedings of the House began, opposition MPs including Randeep Surjewala, Manickam Tagore, Renuka Chowdhury and Sandosh Kumar P gave suspension of business notice under Rule 267 to discuss Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor.
According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), Rule 267 is related to the suspension of rules.
'Any member may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day, and if the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being; provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules," it says.
PM
Modi
's address
Ahead of the Monsoon session, Prime Minister Modi hailed India's military might during Operation Sindoor ahead of the Monsoon session of the Parliament.
While addressing the media ahead of the first session, PM Modi said that the Monsoon session is an occasion for celebrations as "Vijayotswa".
The Prime Minister also appreciated the role of all parties in reaching out to the world community and exposing Pakistan about how it had been a haven for terror sponsors.
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Ruckus within 20 minutes in Lok Sabha
The first sitting of the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon Session was adjourned just 20 minutes after it began, amid slogans by opposition MPs demanding prime minister's response to US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering a peace deal between India and Pakistan.
Parliament began by paying tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the Air India AI-171 plane crash. However, opposition MPs soon began raising slogans of 'PM Modi jawab do' and demanded an immediate discussion on Operation Sindoor.
Speaker Om Birla assured the House that he would allow discussion on the subject after Question Hour, but opposition MPs continued protesting from the well, leading to adjournment until 12 noon.
'You should give notice, and whatever the issue is, it will be discussed after the Question Hour. The House should function on the first day, and there should be a good discussion. I will give proper time and opportunity to every MP,' Birla said.
'The government wants to answer every issue. The House should function. You have not come here to raise slogans. The House functions as per the rules and regulations. All the issues raised according to the rules will be discussed,' he added.
Kharge vs Nadda
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated discussion between Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and JP Nadda. Kharge questioned Centre's action following Pahalgam attack and alleged that the incident was an outcome of "intelligence failure"
"The Pahalgam terrorist attack took place on 22 April, and the terrorists responsible have neither been apprehended nor eliminated to date. We had extended unconditional support to the government to maintain unity in the country and to strengthen the armed forces. In light of this, we wish to know from the government what the complete situation is," Kharge said
"A lapse occurred in Pahalgam, a fact acknowledged by none other than Jammu and Kashmir's LG Manoj Sinha.
The CDS, the Deputy Chief of the Army, and another army officer have also made significant disclosures in this regard. We demand that the statements made by the government regarding the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor be presented in the House as well. Furthermore, the government should clarify its stance on the statement made by US President Trump, as he has claimed not once but 24 times that he facilitated a ceasefire.
This is a humiliating matter for the country," he added.
Countering Kharge, leader of the House Nadda said that the government is ready to in all possible ways to talk in detail about Operation Sindoor
"We will and we want to talk about Operation Sindoor. We will share all the details on this, there should be no message conveying that we don't want to talk about the details," Nadda said.
"There has never been such an operation, the kind we did under the leadership of PM Modi….
The Indian government is ready in all possible ways to talk in detail about Operation Sindoor," he added.
The heated exchange between the two leaders led to the adjournment of the Upper House till noon.
Aviation minister's briefing
After the proceedings resumed in Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu briefed the Parliament over the Air India Plane crash in Ahmedabad which claimed 260 lives.
Naidu said that investigation is being conducted in accordance with international protocols and claimed that India, for the first time, is handling a damaged black box on its own.
"The investigation is being conducted in accordance with international protocols. If you look at the preliminary report, you'll see that in the past, whenever a black box was even slightly damaged, we would send it abroad, " Naidu said.
"However, for the first time, India has taken a stand to handle it independently. To reach a definitive conclusion, we must wait for the final report. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) follows a thorough, rule-based process and is completely unbiased.
While many questions may arise and the Western media may push their own narratives, our approach is grounded in facts. We are committed to standing by the truth and uncovering exactly what happened," he added.
Rahul Gandhi cries foul
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha accused the ruling party of not allowing him to speak in the Parliament.
"The question is - the defence minister is allowed to speak in the House, but Opposition members, including me, who is the LoP, are not allowed to speak," Rahul said.
"This is a new approach. The convention states that if people from the government side can speak, then we should also be given space to speak," he added.