NEW DELHI: Parliament’s winter session, adjourned sine die on Friday, was one of the most tumultuous in recent memory, characterised by violence, protests and a significant drop in productivity.
Despite the disruptions, the session introduced the one nation, one election bills and the two Houses held a two-day debate on 75 years of the Constitution. The session operated for roughly half its scheduled time, with Lok Sabha functioning for 57% of its scheduled time and Rajya Sabha for 43% (as of Dec 18).
Dissatisfaction with the session was evident as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla skipped the customary valedictory speech. Instead, he issued a stern warning just before ‘Vande Mataram’ was played to signify the session’s end.

Discord in House stark, just one bill has been passed in first 6 months of 18th Lok Sabha
Do not resort to demonstrations or protests at any gate or anywhere within the Parliament premises. Otherwise, the House will take serious action,” Birla said amidst sloganeering by opposition MPs. “It is improper to hold any protests or demonstrations at any of Parliament’s gates. You must follow the rules in this regard. I urge you once again to take this warning seriously.”
Birla adjourned Lok Sabha within three minutes without summarising the session’s highlights. Notably, opposition leaders did not attend the traditional tea hosted by the Speaker, resulting in no photo release from the secretariat.
PM Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president J P Nadda, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and leaders from other NDA parties assembled in Birla’s chamber after the session was adjourned.
The discord between the treasury and opposition sides was stark, with only one bill – Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak – passed in the first six months of 18th Lok Sabha, marking the lowest legislative output in the last six terms according to PRS Legislative Research.
The functioning of question hour in the winter session was severely hampered; in Rajya Sabha, it did not function for 15 out of 19 days while in Lok Sabha, it went on for more than 10 minutes on only eight out of 20 days. Also, there was no private members’ business in Lok Sabha, and only one resolution was discussed in the upper House.
In his closing remarks, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged parties to transcend political differences and restore the dignity of parliamentary discourse, amid criticisms of partisanship from the opposition.
The session hit its nadir with physical altercations on Thursday, involving MPs from rival parties, which resulted in two BJP members landing in hospital and an FIR against Rahul Gandhi. The session’s highlight, however, was the two-day discussion on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India’.