Opposition skips Speaker's high tea as stormy Parliament session boils over

The tumultuous winter session of Parliament ended on a stormy note as the Opposition erupted in protest over Home Minister Amit Shah’s alleged insult to Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar, leading to the adjournment of both Houses. In a symbolic show of defiance, the INDIA bloc boycotted the Lok Sabha Speaker's customary tea party.

Opposition leaders argued that attending the event was pointless when FIRs were being filed against their MPs and they were being denied the opportunity to speak in Parliament.

Amid the chaos, both Houses passed a motion to send two bills related to One Nation, One Election to a 39-member joint parliamentary committee for further review.

In the Lok Sabha, chants of "Jai Bhim" rang out as the Speaker issued directions banning demonstrations at Parliament’s gates in the wake of Thursday’s scuffle between BJP and INDIA bloc MPs. With protests showing no sign of abating, the House was adjourned sine die.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed similar disruptions, prompting Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to decry the repeated chaos. He warned that “persistent disruptions” were eroding public trust in democratic institutions and revealed that the Upper House’s productivity had slumped to just 40.03%—functioning for only 43 hours and 27 minutes.

“As Parliamentarians, we are drawing severe criticism from the people of India, and rightfully so,” Dhankhar said, urging lawmakers to choose “meaningful debate over destructive disruptions” before adjourning the session.

BJP and Opposition Trade Blows Outside Parliament

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and other Opposition MPs staged a protest march from Vijay Chowk to Parliament, demanding Amit Shah’s resignation and an apology for his remarks on Ambedkar. The BJP countered with its own protest, where party MP Aparajita Sarangi handed Priyanka Gandhi a bag emblazoned with ‘1984,’ a pointed reference to the anti-Sikh riots.

Tensions escalated further following Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week. Thursday saw the confrontation spiral into a scuffle in the Parliament complex, where two BJP MPs were reportedly injured.

The BJP accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of pushing its MP Pratap Sarangi during the altercation. An FIR was subsequently filed against Rahul Gandhi after the BJP alleged he was guilty of “physical assault and incitement.”

The winter session may have ended, but the bitter exchanges between the ruling party and the Opposition are unlikely to subside anytime soon.