Parliament proceedings were stalled for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as loud protests by an unrelenting opposition over the NEET paper leak and demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation reverberated in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leading to adjournment of the two Houses for the day without transacting any business.
India's Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded with significantly low productivity, marked by frequent disruptions and protests from the Opposition, primarily the Congress, leading to minimal debate on key legislation.
Relentless protests by Opposition parties forced the adjournment of the Lok Sabha for the day after the passage of the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill without a debate on Wednesday, with the government accusing them of coming to the House to disrupt proceedings and not for discussion.
The Lok Sabha stalemate is expected to conclude as Speaker Om Birla has secured an agreement from all political parties to discuss the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026. This bill proposes stricter punishments, including up to 10 years in jail and a Rs 50 lakh fine, for paper leak offences, following recent nationwide student protests over the NEET fiasco.
The Indian government is reportedly developing new proposals to increase Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent across all states. This initiative aims to address concerns from southern states regarding potential political power reduction due to population-based delimitation, while also facilitating the operationalisation of the women's quota law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss resolving the persistent deadlock in the Lok Sabha's monsoon session, focusing on the Delimitation Bill and FCRA Bill, though no immediate commitment was secured from the Congress leader.
Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has appealed for peace and dialogue amid the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, urging people to work towards an amicable solution.
The Congress-led Opposition is set to keep the pressure on the government in Parliament over the alleged police brutality against protesting students, demanding action against those responsible for the assault and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said on Sunday.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the Opposition of setting pre-conditions for a debate on the critical NEET paper leak issue, stating that the government is ready for a comprehensive discussion.
Parliament remained deadlocked for the sixth day on Tuesday as Bharatiya Janata Party stuck to its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the coal block allocation issue.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the opposition parties are only reflecting the sentiments of the people of Manipur and of the country.
US President Donald Trump in an exclusive interview to Axios on Wednesday, said that he would continue to keep the naval blockade until Iran agrees to deal with the United States by addressing America's concerns about the nuclear programme.
Pakistan is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to facilitate negotiations between the US and Iran, with hopes of hosting a second round of talks in Islamabad.
Amidst the stalling of high-level peace talks between Tehran and Washington, Iran continues to endure severe digital isolation as the nationwide internet blackout reached its 44th day on Sunday.
The tug-of-war between government and the Opposition over a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2G spectrum case showed no sign of ending on Tuesday, with Parliament adjourning for the day due to protests from opposition parties. The Opposition protests in the Lok Sabha, however, appeared to be losing steam, as decibel levels remained considerably low compared to the previous week.
Opposition MPs, including members of the Congress party, staged a protest in the Parliament House complex over the India-US trade agreement, controversy surrounding former Army chief MM Naravane's unpublished memoir, and the suspension of eight MPs.
The opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum allocations has led to the longest shutdown of Parliament in independent India, the government on Wednesday claimed.
With the Opposition adamant on the cancellation of coal blocks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday deliberated with the party top brass in the midst of the logjam in Parliament. Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal was also called for the Congress Core Committee meeting and so were Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal.
The representatives of youth-led Gen Z, which spearheaded the anti-government protests, held meetings with the top military brass to finalise a transitional government, but the talks hit a roadblock on the issue of who will head it.
The Lok Sabha will debate the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram' and electoral reforms after an all-party agreement, potentially breaking the logjam over discussions on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The government and opposition parties on Monday reached an agreement to break the impasse in Parliament with dates announced for discussions on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The government is likely to push for the passage of the National Sports Governance Bill in the Lok Sabha, despite ongoing parliamentary disruptions due to opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Other bills are also listed for consideration.
As soon as Lok Sabha assembled, opposition members stormed into the well holding placards and shouting slogans. They demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the alleged stock manipulation by the Adani Group.
The government rejected the Opposition's demand for a discussion on electoral roll revision in Bihar, citing that the matter is sub judice and pending before the judiciary.
The Monsoon session of Parliament concluded after facing disruptions and protests over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Despite the disruptions, the government managed to pass key legislations.
Deadlock over the government's decision to allow FDI in retail paralysed Parliament for the fourth day on Wednesday, with a united opposition joined by United Progressive Alliance partners Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam disrupting proceedings, demanding a rollback of the controversial decision. With formal and back-channel talks between government leaders and their opposition counterparts failing to make any breakthrough, both Houses were adjourned.
'Many are saying that some significant announcement regarding Jammu and Kashmir or even separate statehoods might come; that possibility cannot be ruled out given today's date.'
Nepal's former Chief Justice Sushila Karki is set to lead an interim government, announced by the President's office, following the resignation of prime minister K P Sharma Oli. She will be the first woman prime minister of Nepal.
France today increasingly resembles the Italy of the past, when governments fell with bewildering regularity, prime ministers came and went in rapid succession, and political instability became the norm rather than the exception, point out Krishnan Srinivasan and Manoj Mohanka.
The Rajya Sabha has been witnessing repeated disruptions ever since it met for the Monsoon session on July 20.
'Something very drastic must have happened.'
With the all-party meetings called by Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla producing no breakthrough to end the deadlock in Parliament, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi accused opposition parties of repeatedly 'insulting' Dhankhar.
Both the government and the opposition have hardened their respective stance -- the former insisting on an apology and the latter adamant on not complying.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the opposition on Monday to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin in Parliament but the deadlock persisted in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as both sides refused to budge from their stand, with Congress and its allies insisting on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi first.
18 leaders from 14 parties said it is unfortunate that the government has 'unleashed a misleading campaign to malign the combined opposition' and blaming it for the continued disruption of Parliament proceedings.
The veteran parliamentarian gave vent to his pain and anguish soon after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day amid trading of charges between the government and the Opposition on smooth functioning of proceedings.
There was no let up in Opposition's protest over the demonetisation issue in the second week of the winter session of Parliament as parties insisted that no discussion on demonetisation would take place till the House mourns the nearly 70 deaths caused by hardships due to the withdrawal of higher denomination currency notes.
The Union accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "shirking political responsibility" of resolving the crisis.
Prospects of an immediate end to the deadlock in Parliament over the JPC probe into 2G spectrum scam appeared dim with the Opposition and government remaining firm in their respective positions for and against such an inquiry on the eve of an all-party meeting on Tuesday.
Leader of the Lok Sabha and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has invited leaders of all parties for a luncheon meeting to discuss a way out to end the impasse in Parliament as both Houses have not been able to transact any business since the winter session commenced.
