Both Houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, on Thursday adjourned sine die, a day before schedule amid a protest by suspended MPs against the mass suspension. The Centre moved and managed to clear several key bills from Parliament on Thursday. This includes the Bill to appoint Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, the three new criminal law bills, and the Telecommunication Bill, 2023 among others.

The proceedings in both houses took place amid nearly no opposition after a record 143 MPs were suspended from Parliament. The suspension began when the members sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the Parliament security breach on Dec 13. Later, more members were suspended over misconduct and for disrupting house proceedings from both Houses.

The leaders of the opposition parties held a protest from Parliament to Vijay Chowk against the mass suspension holding “Save Democracy” placards. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) also held a protest against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee for his alleged

The winter session witnessed an intense battle between the Centre and the opposition over a range of issues — from Mahua Moitra’s expulsion to security breach and suspension.

Here’s What All Happened During Winter Session Of Parliament

• Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha’s suspension was revoked on Monday (Dec 4) by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on the motion moved by BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao, reported PTI. The AAP MP was suspended from the Upper House of the Parliament in August this year during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

• A row erupted after a controversial remark of DMK MP DNV Senthilkumar that he used to describe Hindi heartland states triggering a swift response from BJP leaders who condemned the remarks as being against “Sanatan Dharma” and questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s stance on the matter. However, the same as expunged and Senthilkumar later expressed regret over the statement as well.

• The Lok Sabha passed two bills granting reservations to the Kashmiri Pandit migrants and displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. While debating on the bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Amit Shah said that two mistakes by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made Kashmir suffer for so many years. 

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks on the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. Gandhi said Shah does not know the history and he is doing so to divert from the real issues like caste census, OBC welfare and others. The former Congress chief said that he does not expect Shah to know history as the latter “keeps rewriting” it.

• Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha in connection with the cash-for-query case, following a parliamentary vote. The decision came after the Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion as a Member of Parliament, citing “immoral and indecent conduct.”

• The Centre tabled the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha and after backlash from Opposition parties, it made changes to retain the status of the top three Election Commission officers on par with Supreme Court (SC) judges, PTI reported. The earlier version of the bill had proposed making the salary and conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) equivalent to that of Cabinet Secretary rank.

• Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani stoked a debate inside and outside the parliament, as she opposed the idea of the paid period, leaves for women employees saying that menstruation or the menstrual cycle is a natural part of a woman’s life and it’s not a handicap. She was responding to MP Manoj Kumar Jha’s question in Rajya Sabha on measures taken by the government to ensure employers grant paid menstrual leaves to women.

• On the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament terror attack, two individuals breached security in Lok Sabha as one of them jumped from the visitor’s gallery and moved towards the Speaker while the other opened gas cannisters releasing yellow smoke. Two others — a man and woman — open similar cannisters outside parliament and shout “tanashahi nahi chalegiu” slogans.

• Agencies rush to arrest the four and soon begin the interrogation amid a hue and cry by the opposition over the security lapse. Police detained a Gurugram couple who housed the accused while mastermind Lalit Jha surrendered a day after the breach.

• Opposition raised the issue in Lok Sabha seeking a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Amidst all this, TMC MP Derek O’Brien is suspended from Rajya Sabha For the remaining Winter Session on charges of obstructing the proceedings of the House. This after he was asked to leave the House immediately by Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar for disorderly conduct. The Rajya Sabha Chairman said Derek O’Brien had entered the well of the House, shouted slogans and disrupted the proceedings of the House as the opposition raised the issue of the security breach incident.

• Then, around 78 MPs (together from both Houses) were suspended for disorderly conduct as they sought Amit Shah’s statement on the security breach. A day later, 49 more MPs from opposition parties were suspended from Lok Sabha taking the county of total MPs suspended to 141. A few more were suspended later taking the number to 146. Amid the chaos inside and outside the Parliament during the ongoing winter session, a video of Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini has now gone viral where she says that over 100 MPs from opposition parties have been suspended because they ask “too many” questions. 

• Amid the Opposition protests seeking a statement from PM Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah on the security breach and the subsequent mass suspensions of MPs, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee courted controversy for trying to mock Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by mimicking his mannerisms. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also seen shooting the act.

• Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he will not tolerate any insult to Parliament or the position of vice president, while also expressing his deep anguish at TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s impersonation of him. The chairman of the Rajya Sabha said the act of mimicking him and its videography was an “insult” to the honour of the vice presidency, farmers, and his own community.

• Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that caste should not be dragged into every issue after the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) called TMC MP’s mimic an insult to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Jat community. Kharge said that should he say if he was not allowed to speak it was because he is a Dalit. “If I am not allowed to speak, should I say it is because I am Dalit…Caste should not be dragged into every issue and used to incite people,” Kharge said, quoted PTI.

• Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday saying he speaks outside the Parliament everywhere but does not speak inside the House on the matter of security breach. Kharge made the remarks as the Opposition hit the street against the suspension of MPs from both Houses. 

• On the raging controversy around the mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said there was no debate when 150 Opposition members were suspended from the Parliament and questioned the media for discussing only the mimicry episode. “Who disrespected and how? MPs were sitting there (in the Parliament premises), I shot their video. Our 150 MPs were thrown out, but there is no discussion in the media on that; no discussion on Adani, Rafael and unemployment,” Rahul Gandhi said while speaking to the media.

• The Lok Sabha on Thursday cleared The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, days after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the bill amidst empty opposition benches. 143 opposition MPs have been suspended from Parliament since after the security breach in Lok Sabha on Dec 13. The opposition leaders have been demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the lapse.

Legislative Bills Passed

• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, seeking to amend the Central Universities Act of 2009 and establish the Central Tribal University in Telangana was passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The Appropriation Bill tabled by the Finance Ministry was passed in both Houses of Parliament.
• The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to reserve one-third of all elected seats in Puducherry Legislative Assembly for women, was passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, was passed in both Houses during the ongoing Winter Session. It introduces provisions for seat reservation for women in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, and lays the groundwork for the restoration of full statehood and holding of Assembly polls.
• The Parliament passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
  The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 was passed in Parliament.
• The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 was passed in both Houses of Parliament.
• The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to extend the upper age limit of GST Appellate tribunal Chairman to 67 years from 65 years and allows advocates with 10 years of experience to be eligible to be a member was passed in Parliament.
• The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 was passed in Parliament.
• The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023, seeking to replace IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act was passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.