Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The just-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament was successful in terms of legislative business but remained unsatisfactory in terms of productivity.
In the Lok Sabha, only 19 per cent productivity was achieved, while in the Rajya Sabha, it stood at 39 per cent. The Lower House saw debate only on one Bill, pertaining to paper leaks and their prevention. The ‘Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act’ was passed through both the Houses after due deliberations and discussion.
The other Bills passed during the session included the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, the Tribunals Reforms Bill, the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, and the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026.
Addressing the media after both Houses were adjourned sine die on August 13, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “We view the Monsoon Session from two angles. In terms of business, it was a very successful session — we passed a total of 12 Bills. However, from the perspective of debate and discussion, it was not as successful.”
A lot of political watchers and constitutional experts have expressed considerable concern over the passage of key legislations without any d e b a t e or discussion, w i t h s o m e MPs also r a i s i n g alarm over the gravity of the issue.
Rijiju held the Opposition for the washout of the Monsoon Session and blamed it on the latter’s disruption and derailment tactics, accusing them of “running away” from debate. Admitting that the Monsoon Session didn’t live up to people’s expectations, he said it was the Opposition’s conduct and behaviour that led to constant stalling and adjournments of both the Houses.
“This is the first time I have seen the Opposition shying away from debate. In a democracy, they seek answers from the Government, and the Government is bound to provide them. Yet, we witnessed a scenario where the Government itself was forthcoming on discussion, but the Opposition kept making excuses to avoid. This is not healthy for the parliamentary democracy,” he stated
