Parliament Adjourned Amid Opposition Uproar Over Voter Purge

As the Monsoon Session enters its fourth day, the Lok Sabha was scheduled to resume at 2 PM on Thursday to take up key legislative business, including the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, for consideration and passage. However, the House was adjourned for the day.

On the fourth day of the ongoing session, the Lok Sabha was scheduled to take up key legislations on Thursday, including the Scheduled Tribes Reservation Bill for Goa and the Merchant Shipping Bill.  However, with the House adjourned amid continued disruptions, the discussion has now been deferred to July 25, 2025.

The ongoing deadlock between the Opposition and the treasury benches played out once again on Thursday, with the Lok Sabha adjourned within minutes of reconvening amid relentless Opposition protests.

For the fourth consecutive day, proceedings in the Lower House were disrupted as Opposition MPs demanded a discussion on several key issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and Operation Sindoor.

The sequence of events on Thursday mirrored the pattern seen throughout the week, with the session repeatedly derailed and little to no legislative business conducted.

However, the matter now appears to be heading toward a conclusive resolution. The Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha has agreed to allocate 16 hours for a detailed discussion on the issue next week, aligning with a similar decision taken in the Lok Sabha.

Parliament Monsoon Session: Key Highlights from Day Four

In a sharp critique of the Centre, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has taken strong exception to the Union Ministry of Rural Development’s decision to disengage the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), a premier institution with a legacy spanning over seven decades.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore has submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 56, demanding an urgent discussion on the alleged mass disenfranchisement of over 52 lakh voters from Bihar's electoral rolls. Calling it an “unprecedented assault” on the voting rights of the poor, Dalits, Adivasis, and backwards communities, Tagore accused the Modi government of misusing the Election Commission as a political tool.

He described the large-scale voter deletions as “institutional voter cleansing” rooted in a “dangerous Manuwadi ideology” aimed at silencing marginalised voices, labourers, the landless, slum-dwellers, minorities, and the youth. Tagore warned that this undermines Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s legacy and could set a dangerous precedent for other states, terming it a “national emergency for democracy.”

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien has accused the ruling government of “running away” from a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi joined the INDIA bloc MPs in their protest over the SIR issue at the Parliament House complex.

Lok Sabha convenes for the day amid persistent Opposition protests, with members demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar as the day's proceedings begin.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m. amid continued Opposition protests over the government’s alleged reluctance to allow a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Speaker Om Birla objected strongly to the use of placards and the storming of the well of the House, calling the conduct unparliamentary and a deliberate attempt to waste public funds. As Opposition members refused to back down, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 p.m.

Also Read: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal To Introduce Shipping Merchant Bill 2024 Today